Beacon's Effect 4: Reckoning
by Tusken1602
Summary: Sequel to "Beacon's Effect 3: Awakening." In our darkest hour, we follow the adventures of Ko'le and Shepard as they attempt to break a cycle that has existed longer than any could imagine, going on seemingly impossible missions against seemingly invincible foes. But for Shepard and Company, that is what they do best. Rated 'M' for violence, language, and 'stuff.'
1. Prologue: Another Beginning

**If you have not read the other stories in my "Beacon's Effect" series, I gotta warn you now: None of this story will make sense.**

 **If you HAVE read them, then welcome to the last chapter of my Mass Effect SI/OC series! I know I said January in BE:3 - Awakening's last chapter, but because you guys have been so supportive my my writing, and have been with me for so long on Kevin/Ko'le/Beast's journey through the Mass Effect Universe, I decided to give you a guys an early Christmas present!**

 **For those who have PM'ed me asking about it, I have to say that I have no _current_ plans to extend the series into "Andromeda", but you never know…? We'll have to wait and see what the game is like. #soexcited**

 **Special thanks to Katkiller-V, for the unofficially beta-reading and idea-bouncing. If you guys are fans of Mass-Effect (which I'm assuming you are, if you're here), go check out Katkiller-V's stories!**

 **Please continue to send me Reviews and PM's with you guys' thoughts/suggestions/constructive cricisms. It means a lot to me, even if it's just "I liked it, good job." :D**

 **Ee-RAH, my friends!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

 ***COLLECTOR BASE  
GALACTIC CORE***

 **ORDAINED.**

 _No…._

 **AWAKEN.**

 _No, no, no, NO!_

 _Why am I NOT DEAD?_

 **YOUR TASK REMAINS UNFINISHED.**

 _I failed in my task._

 **SO LONG AS LIFE REMAINS, FAILURE HAS NOT OCCURRED.**

I reached up to pinch the bridge of my nose with my left hand… and nearly stabbed myself in the face.

WHAT THE FUCK!?

Taloned fingers extended from a massive hand that was nearly the size of my face, reminding me of a Banshee's hands. In place of my normal armor, a hardened carapace covered my chest and limbs. I reached up gingerly, and tried to remove the helmet that I suddenly realized was covering my head. At my mental command, _something_ gave way at my neck, and the thing almost _slid_ off my scalp. The ugly, misshapen thing looked to be made of obsidian and… some kind of organic material. Turning to look at the polished visor, I saw that my dreadlocks had been replaced with… _cables_. Small, almost fiber-optic cables connecting every square inch of my scalp with my spine.

 _Fucking hell…_

"What…the hell… did you do to me?"

As if in answer to my question, suddenly, a blade extended from my left vambrace.

 _Not just any blade._

Even in its twisted, deformed shape, I could see the remnants of my own sword, _Lieutenant_ , had been utilized to make this… arm-blade.

 **YOU WERE DAMAGED, ORDAINED. TO REPLACE LOST LIMB IS AN EASY MATTER. _WE_ UPGRADED YOU, UPLIFTED YOU, BEYOND THE ABILITIES AND SCOPE OF YOUR FORMER SHELL. **

**"** GAAAAHHH!"

A scream of fury tore from my throat, and my biotics flared. And that is when I noticed that they were no longer green. Not the greenish-black of most Protheans, nor even the golden-black of Harbinger.

The flare that seeped from the very pores of my skin, extending out and around me in a massive display of furious energy, was pitch-black, like midnight on a moonless world, or the dark of the deepest cave.

The black emptiness of space, given form and harnessed for incredible energy.

"FUCK YOU!" I screamed, my rage threatening to tear my head apart, "What more could you POSSIBLY TAKE FROM ME? My friends, my former life, my ship, my rank, my family, and my brothers, now my very body: Have I not given ALL to you?!"

There was a moment of silence as my defiant query echoed in the vast chamber. Then the Leviathan answered:

 **HAVE WE NOT GIVEN YOU… ALL?**

"…Fuck you."

 **"YOU ARMY STANDS READY,"** Levi (I didn't know its name, and frankly I didn't _care_ ) droned on, oblivious to my pain. " **YOUR SHIPS NEAR COMPLETION."**

"My… army?"

The Leviathan moved aside. Before me, filling the wide chamber, were rows upon rows of… Collectors. These had been altered, just as I had. If the Collectors could be compared to roaches, these were massive armored wetas. Shields were on their left arms…wait, no, their left arms _were_ wide and long shields, behind which they could fire wrist-mounted plasma rifles.

 _Brothers…._

My Mind-Share went unanswered.

I had been bracing for the pain or the despair I felt the last time I melded with a Collector. With this many gathered in one place, the agony should have been overwhelming. Instead, silence reigned, both audibly and on the Mind-Plane.

 _I… I cannot sense any of them? Where are their memories? Their… personalities? Their… their souls?_

 **THEY ARE GONE.**

An incredible sinking feeling came over me as my chest tightened and my breaths came short and shallow.

"What?"

 **SEVERED FROM THE CONSTRUCT'S CONTROL, MOST OF THE SURVIVING SOULS SOUGHT SELF-DESTRUCTION OVER CONTINUED EXISTENCE. RESTORING THE MEMORIES OF THEIR PAST LIVES ONLY SERVED TO DRIVE THEM TO DESPAIR AND SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. WE PURGED THEM, IN ORDER TO PREVENT THEIR TOTAL DESTRUCTION.**

"You… you… PURGED THEM? They… they… my friends… my soldiers…"

 **ARE DEAD. THESE ARE PERFECTION, GIVEN FORM. HOLLOW SHELLS: EXTENSIONS OF YOUR OWN WILL, ORDAINED.**

Ko'le's anguish and torment threatened to overwhelm us: sorrow, grief, and despair welled up in my mind, blocking out all other conscious thought.

 ** _I failed._**

 ** _Father and Mother, I failed._**

 _Ko'le… we cannot give up…_

 ** _What is the point?_**

 ** _There is no victory._**

 ** _Not after this._**

 ** _How can there be?_**

 **Enough!**

The overwhelming despair ebbed and faded in my mind.

 _Beast?_

 **Ko'le is… broken right now, Kevin. We must press on.**

 _I don't… I don't…_

 **You are out of your depth.**

Beast's words were understanding, without accusation or condemnation. Almost… _kind._

 **The games did not prepare you for this.**

 _Yeah… I don't know how to…what to…_

 **We are doing _no_ good sitting here, with the galaxy swirling around us. We must get back into the fight. **

_Ok… how?_

 **This is a task for a Warrior. A Weapon. Not a boy who is only _now_ becoming a man. Do you trust me? **

_I really have no choice, do I?_

 **Not really.**

"You left my mind intact," I said, turning back to the floating Leviathan.

 **"WE DID,"** it confirmed **. "THE OLD ONE SAW FIT TO LEAVE YOUR MIND UNALTERED. WE BOW TO HIS WISDOM."**

"You really should not have."

The poignant words hung in the air between us.

"I will be your _weapon_ , sword and whatever the _fuck_ else you wish of me, Leviathan," I continued. "The Reapers are my enemy, and to destroy them is the very purpose of my creation, and the Ordained's journeying across the Void. BUT AFTER THEY ARE DESTROYED…"

I paused to let the full weight of my words sink in.

"After the Reapers are destroyed, I WILL COME FOR YOU. YOU _erased_ each and every one of my friends and left me these useless drones, because in your arrogance, you could not imagine victory without CONTROL. AND YOU WILL ANSWER for those deaths. YOU WILL ANSWER FOR the creation of THOSE MONSTERS.

THIS I SWEAR, by ALL that abides in this Universe."

I swear the damn thing _chuckled._

 **YOU MAY TRY, ORDAINED.**

"Also… fuck you."

I spun on my heel, surveying the ranks of drones spread out in front of me. As I strode forward, they parted ranks in perfect synchronization. Even with the information the Leviathan had given me, I sent out mental probes to each of them as I passed, _hoping_ against _hope_ that I would find an echo… a whisper… of their former selves.

Nothing.

These were upgraded empty drones, waiting for my slightest mental command. At a single thought, they could form ranks, advance, retreat, or even spread their reinforced wings and fly _over_ the enemy if need be.

All in total silence.

Not a whisper.

Not a single moment's hesitation.

 _Father and Mother, I'm tired of being the last survivor. It's a shit gig._

"Right," I said aloud, shaking down the sorrow and loss that clawed at the back of my mind and still had their talons firmly in Ko'le. "First things first… I need a ship."


	2. Prologue: Ships and Satellites

**_Oh, yes, a promising beginning indeed._**

 _Shut up, Ko'le._

 ** _Threaten the beings who put us back together and who are entirely in control of who leaves this station. Or what remains of it. Honestly, Beast, WHY?_**

 **I WILL fight them. I WILL kill them. Lying to them or feigning cooperation under false pretenses would have accomplished nothing. These beings are ancient, even by Prothean standards. They are not the sort of beings to be easily fooled by _pretty words_ or _nice manners_. **

**_But why are we fighting? WHY are we killing? Look at all we've lost!_**

Beast's answer was simple:

 **Vengeance. I will destroy those who have destroyed me and mine.**

 ** _Kevin, this is madness. Even assuming we assemble this ship the Leviathans speak of (which they have not let us see, by the way), what happens when we are on the other side of the Crimson Relay? We will be fired upon by every friendly that we see, because we look like FUCKING COLLECTORS. Our friends will believe that we are indoctrinated. Our comrades will shun us as a Reaper abomination. Oh, but don't worry, we're ONLY the creation of the OTHER race of giant space creatures that want to RULE THE GALAXY._**

 _No_ , I answered. _We have to press on._

The silence in my head was deafening, the question unspoken, yet hanging in the air like a clarion call.

 _I have less cause than any of you to be in this fight, I admitted. I did not ASK to be brought here. I was not crafted as a weapon of war, or trained to be a leader of soldiers. I was going to be a teacher; A history teacher. I was supposed to lead an unremarkable life, marry my college sweetheart, have half-a-dozen kids, and die in a hospital somewhere, surrounded by my grandchildren and family. That was my fate. Instead I touch a pillar in the Allegheny Mountains, and get pulled into a world I know both nothing and everything about._

 _It's easy to be the hero when your soldiers kneel before your power and cower before your might. It's easy to lead when you have hordes of fanatics cheering your every deed, and hanging on every word. It's easy to fight when all around you believe you to be the Chosen One, and you represent their Best Hope. Anyone could be that hero. Any would lead that army. Anyone could win such a battle._

 _But such is not our fate._

 _Our battle is one that no one wants. Our struggle is one no one believes in. Our call is one that no one will answer. Ours is the fury of seeing friend and after friend die. Ours is the sorrow of lost love and family. Ours is the Blind Hope that comes with facing an invincible horde with nothing but sword in hand, bleeding from where your comrades have crippled you and left you to die. When we stand alone against the storm, with NO CHANCE of victory, and to fight on._

 _Thus are legends born. Thus are myths created. Such is a worthy gift unto the Father, and a worthy use of the Mother's Gift of Life._

 _Look there!_

I pointed towards a corner of the platform.

 _Each of these are victories, won at the price of a friend's life. To not continue this fight would be to distain their memories and scorn their sacrifice. Pyke came here because he believed in us. Basher, Tallaxis, Zaeed, Jacob… everyone. They all fought because we brought them here._

 _So, yes, I will fight. Because the alternative is to lie down and die._

 _And I am Kevin Troy, Son of Wayne, son of Taylor. And we Troys do not back down from a fight._

 ** _Hmmm. Spoken like a true badass._**

 **Shut up, Ko'le.**

 _Shut up, Ko'le._

The door opened behind us…or, rather, me. As I turned, I saw there in the doorway stood a skeletal figure. The first thing that stood out was that it was _big._ Over two meters tall, _maybe even seven feet,_ Kevin offered. The next thing was that it looked like something the Reapers had rejected from their ranks. The eyes were hollow black pools, the skin looked like myriad layers of metal shards stacked one on top of the other. It looked like… like…

 _Mother Above_. _This is a miniaturized version of the Proto-Reaper._

Then it opened its mouth.

"We created this interface to accompany you on your quest, Ordained."

The voice was a screeching, like someone was running a saw over a piece of sheet metal. When I stopped _cringing_ , I scowled, unable to keep the derision off my face or voice.

"You look like a fucking husk. I show up _anywhere_ in the known galaxy with _that_ and we'll be shot on sight."

The seven-foot tall synthetic cocked its head, bewilderment clear on its face.

"What would you suggest, then?"

"Oh for _fuck's sake_ …. Look in the memories of _any_ of the _thousands_ of humans that were processed and fed into that thing's data-banks."

The skeletal face seemed to ponder that for a moment, then it twisted and warped as countless metal shards shifted and folded. Finally, a face that _passed_ as a human's appeared above the neck, and slowly, the skin color shifted to a somewhat normal color and sheen.

"Better?"

"You won't get shot _immediately_ ," I admitted. "They'll actually hesitate before they pull the trigger…"

"That is all I require: a moment's hesitation."

"So you built this interface to _spy_ on me…"

There was a non-committal shrug on the part of the synthetic creation. The face grinned… and it was a _weird-ass_ Cheshire grin at that, extending from ear to ear, literally.

"Yeaah," I responded slowly. "Gonna have to work on that face. Seriously."

I started to turn away, but then looked back at the Leviathan-built interface.

"So long as you're _here_ , you might as well be useful," I admitted. "Where is the shipyard?"

The head again cocked in seeming confusion.

"Shipyard?"

Father and Mother, grant me patience.

"Yes, _shipyard_ ," I answered slowly, "Where they are building _the ship_ that will take us back through the Relay?"

"Ordained," again came the Cheshire cat grin. The synthetic slowly strode over to the wall and pressed a hand the stone. Two panels drew back, revealing a thick pane of…. Some kind of organic glass. Or at least a transparent membrane we could see through.

 _Dozens_ of ships lay before us. Leftover wrecks of the Prothean Armada, of derelict asari and turian exploration vessels, and several ships I didn't _even_ recognize: relics of bygone eras, and past civilizations.

"Holy Shit."

"We did not used to rule this galaxy for nothing, Ordained," Cheshire crowed.

"How many?"

"We have excellent progress on some thirty-five ships of war. They will serve to move your Drone squadrons to the battlefront. Now that the Construct's invasion has begun in earnest, the people's desperation for military aid will overcome any misgivings they may have as to the nature of those who have come to aid them."

"Maybe… wait, _what?_ The invasion has begun? How long have I been out? How long did you take to rebuild me?"

"In your puny mortal reckoning of time? Seven Months."

 _Seven Months…_

"I've got to go, now." My words spilled forth in a frenzied hurry. "The Reaper's invasion will have started in earnest. Earth will be under attack."

"If you back through the relay now, you risk walking into a war zone." Cheshire's words were calm, and had adopted a soothing tone. "They will not know friend from foe. The galaxy will be in chaos. The Conclave will be standing ready. You built it for such a time as this…"

"They NEED me!"

Cheshire stared at me for a long moment as my angry declaration echoed in the halls around us.

"And you call US arrogant..."

 _That_ was a splash of ice water on my fevered dreams. I took a step back, both physically and mentally, then spoke again.

"Those are my friends on the other side of that relay. They are fighting and dying to stave off an invasion of your creations." I took a deep breath, keeping my heartbeat and tone even and clear. "I _have_ to go. To leave them to face that alone... would be a betrayal."

"These are the same friends who left you for dead? Who left you behind, without so much as recovering your body for burial? You would risk much for such."

"I... I understand their reasoning. Javik was protecting the memory of his people. Shepard was acting to protect her crew. In her eyes, I was cremated in the fortress of my enemies...a fate I would gladly have chosen for myself. Please… I have to go. If only to understand the current state of the galaxy: to know where best to deploy our forces.

There was a long moment as Cheshire continued to carefully study my face.

"If this is your will Ordained… then we shall see it done."

He waved a hand over the glass, and a hologram of a small ship appeared.

"This is an asari scout ship, dating from a mere three millennia ago. It has been repaired already, and will server to bear you through the Crimson Relay. There will also be room for twenty drones."

"I don't need _drones_ ," I snapped.

"You do if you want to operate the ship," Cheshire retorted. "Unless you have developed a way to operate the engine, navigation, and weapons systems simultaneously…"

I grunted, more out of annoyance at his being right than anything else.

"Anything else?"

"I will also accompany you, if you will allow it."

"I though you said this was a bad idea."

"It is. But that makes for all the stronger argument to go along an ensure no harm comes to the Ordained."

 ** _This is madness._**

 _Ko'le, I'm going to acquaint you with an old Earth phrase: If you're not going to say something helpful, shut your trap._

* * *

 **Alliance Military Headquarters  
Toronto, Canada, Earth  
SOL SYSTEM  
LOCAL CLUSTER**

"Captain? They're ready for you."

Rebecca Shepard straightened, adjusting her uniform before turning to see the marine who had just entered.

"You don't have to call me that, James."

"We're in Earth HQ, Shepard," Vega replied formally. "If there's anywhere I have to, it's here. But anyway, they've sent me to tell you that the Defense Committee's assembled."

"Do you think this time's gonna be any different from the other ten times I've presented to them?"

"Come on, Lola," Vega placated, "They gave you a promotion, they gave you the _Normandy_ …"

" _Confirmed_ ," Shepard corrected, "I kinda already had it."

"'Confirmed' then," Vega chuckled, "And they gave you that special task force."

"To prepare for war against the wrong people," Shepard groaned. "We don't need the ships and weapons to fight the Terminus, we need to be ready for the Reapers!"

"Hey, _preaching_ to the choir here, _hermana_ ," Vega shrugged. "But those ships and weapons can be used against anybody, is my way of thinking…"

The door opened to reveal two figures standing by the door.

" _Captain_ Shepard," Admiral Anderson acknowledged, returning Rebecca's salute.

"That _still_ sounds weird every time I hear it," Rebecca admitted. "I keep looking for my mom."

"It was a promotion that was long overdue, Shepard," Anderson replied, smiling broadly. "Lieutenant Commander Williams was just filling us in on the _Normandy_ 's latest foray into the Terminus Warzone."

Shepard nodded at Ashley, then pointed her chin towards the giant double-doors on the far side of the hall. "What's it like in there?"

Ashley shrugged non-committedly. "I can never tell with them. They seemed to be a lot more interested with the Terminus situation than any confirmations we had of Reaper involvement in the Hegemony."

"Admiral?" a tall redhead called from the door. "The Committee's expecting you."

Anderson pursed his lips tightly, then turned back to the three Alliance soldiers behind him.

"Come on," he said tersely.

The door opened to reveal a giant war-room, complete with holo-maps, aides running to and fro with panicked expressions, and the three members of the Earth Defense Committee on the far side of the room, huddled together overlooking a galaxy map. An aide whispered into the ear of one of them, and they turned towards the newcomers.

"Admiral Anderson, Captain Shepard, welcome."

Shepard looked from face to face, attempting to size up the room.

General Michael Horne, Army Chief of Staff.

General Jennifer O'Shaughnessy, Alliance Marines Commandant.

And Secretary of Terran Affairs Rajesh Mukherjee.

 _They brought out the big guns_ , she thought. _They must be serious. Or desperate._

"What's the situation?" she asked.

"We're… not quite sure," came the unsettling answer. An aide handed both Shepard and Anderson a datapad. "We've lost communication with all Alliance posts outside of the Sol Relay. Arcturus Station, Eden Prime, Elysium: All have gone dark."

"What could have knocked out our entire communications system?" Anderson wondered.

"That's what we're trying to answer," General Horne replied. "We were hoping you could shed some light on the situation."

Shepard felt a growing knot in the pit of her stomach.

"The other colonies haven't gone dark," she stated. " _We_ _have_."

" _Impossible_ ," Secretary Mukherjee insisted. "That would require technology _incomprehensibly_ powerful to jam an _entire system's_ Communications grid."

" _Sir_ ," Shepard insisted. "Either _something_ has invaded every system in the galaxy _simultaneously_ , knocking out their comm buoys, OR we are unable to connect to them. You brought me here to confirm what you already know: The Reapers are here."

"Then…" General O'Shaughnessy said slowly, "How do we stop them?"

"We have moved past strategy and tactics, ma'am," Shepard replied. "We have to start thinking about _survival_. The Reapers are stronger, faster, and more powerful than us. And they will _never_ take pity on us."

"I have already placed the 4th Fleet on high Alert," Anderson added. "I recommend we go to Red Alert for our planetary and lunar defense systems."

"Sir," a communications officer called out from the corner of the room, "We've just lost contact with Kerberos Station!"

Anderson turned to the map showing the nine planets of the Sol System.

"Pluto? They couldn't be _that_ close already…"

"What do we do?" The Secretary's voice showed signs of the immense strain everyone was feeling in that moment.

"The only thing we can," Shepard responded, pointing at the map. "We fight, or we die…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for being patient and so supportive with your PM's and reviews!**

 **Hopefully we can get this story back onto some sort of schedule (but you know what it's like coming back from a holiday… sometimes it just feels like everything is moving in slow motion).**

 **But anyway, we've got Kevin a ship, and we're getting ready to kick this whole thing off in classic Ko'le/Beast/Kevin style.**

 **Full shout-out to Katkiller-V for helping beta-read this chapter.**

* * *

Review Responses:

Squadpunk 2.0, maesde, jamesneedham2013, Malhavoc Shadowlord – BE4 is going to be in one way the simplest of the stories: See Reaper, kill Reaper. But then again, it's gonna be the most complicated as well: How to stave off the Leviathans, defeat the Reapers, AND how to convince friends that he is still… him. Or even convince HIMSELF that he IS still "he."

Dragons guard, Dreaded Wolf – Happy New Year!

Ocastle102, Zeru'Xil, OBSERVER01 – "Behold the field wherein I grow my fucks… and behold, it is barren." – Kevin, probably.

XCOMHEAVY12, The MysteriousOtaku, Lord Mortem, Glassed Gamer – That is true. The most dangerous thing at the moment is trying to avoid friendly fire. Effectively, he looks like the Collector Armor from Mass Effect 2… plus his Levithan-ized "dreads."

KyuubiNodachi – Some things do remain certain: that there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it's worth fighting for.

Appbeza, Nagato21, R3Dinfinity – I have some cool ideas for the husks. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, however.

griezz – I hoped I answered your question in this chapter.

Shadow wolf 501 – I did take a break, actually. That's why this chapter's taken so long to get out. But I appreciate the concern!

tamagat, deadtrooper, Giamia, Guest, redcollector, He Who Devours The Suns,Deadly6, RakSandman, noname, GamerDroid56, jackli10345, Kygomars567 – thanks, everybody! Keep on leaving your comments/suggestions/criticisms, and I'll do my best to do right by you guys! Whether you've been with me from the beginning, or just joining me now, I hope to make Beacon's Effect 4: Reckoning the best journey yet!

Toothless is best - I will get out another chapter as soon as I can finish editing, my friend. :-)

EE-RAH!


	3. Omega: Arrival

The asari vessel _Sword of Lucen_ had been a part of an expedition three millennia ago on the part of the asari to claim the omega 4 relay (and whatever nameless treasures lay beyond it). However, without a Reaper IFF signature, the trip had all but careened out of control in transit, and had no maneuvering thrusters left when they came through to the other side. They had crashed into one of the many Prothean wrecks and had lost hull integrity.

There had been no survivors. Not that surviving such an event would have even been desirable given their probable fate at the hands of a Collector salvage crew.

The drones manning each of the stations now, were a model of efficiency, following my mental commands to the letter. The asari ship had been given a full overhaul, pieced back together with signature Collector rock-looking bulkheads (organic bio-steel bulkheads, as it turned out). The overall effect had served to turn a somewhat incongruous space vessel into _something_ that resembled a clawed hand, with two arched wings from a Densorin wreck bio-welded to each side.

"Do the Leviathans have something against curves and symmetry, Cheshire?" I asked the Leviathan-made android, who was moving from station to station on its self-proclaimed inspection.

"Symmetry makes it easy to identify critical areas of a vessel," the hulking synthetic answered. "Asymmetry seems to confuse organics and synthetics alike."

It was about that point when I realized what was so off-putting about Cheshire: when he talked, his lower jaw remained motionless, and the top half of the synthetics head bobbed up and down to form the words as he spoke. The whole effect might have been comical, if it didn't just… _look_ so wrong. It was subtle enough to set you on edge when you were staring at him as he talked.

"When we are fired upon, it is unlikely they will recognize _this_ location as the command bridge."

"Yes, _very_ reassuring, Cheshire," I retorted. "Full points for comfort and bedside manner."

"I was not constructed to be comforting, Ordained," Cheshire replied, completed missing the sarcasm in the sentence.

"Obviously not."

"Coming through the relay now, Ordained," the big android informed me suddenly. "In five…four…three…two…one."

We exited FTL, the blurred white lines around us suddenly snapping into focus to reveal…

To reveal… _oh, gods, no._

For half a second, I thought something had gone wrong: that we had somehow made a circular path, and ended back up at the Core.

But no…that was Omega that spun there, with a field of wreckage in loose orbit around it. Ships of all shapes and sizes lay in hulking ruins, ripped open from stem to stern. The few closest to us bore the battle-scarred but still-recognizable emblem of the Eclipse Corporation, while that one there….

The unmistakable golden "C", once notorious for Cerberus, now serving to identify vessels of the Conclave, hove into view.

"What happened here?" I whispered breathlessly.

"Reapers?" Cheshire postulated, but even his haphazard face showed confusion and bewilderment.

"No," I countered, "If it was Reapers, they wouldn't have left the station intact."

 _What in Mother's name…_?

Suddenly from behind one of the larger Eclipse ships, two smaller vessels came hove into view.

 ** _Conclave corvettes._** **Tychus _class,_** Ko'le's analytical mind recognized instinctively.

This was only confirmed when one of the drones patched in a radio call seconds later:

 **"Unknown vessel, you are in violation of the Conclave Blockade of Omega Station. Identify yourself, or we will open fire."**

" ** _FOOLS! DO YOU NOT RECOGNIZE YOUR MASTER?!"_**

I whirled to face Cheshire, whose challenge echoed and screeched still in my ears, and over the airwaves to the two accompanying vessels.

 ** _Exactly the wrong thing to say_** **.**

 _Gee, you think?_

"Cheshire," I managed to say aloud, "You're a supreme idiot."

The android's confused look showed he completely and honestly didn't know _why_ , but whatever questions he may have had were cut off when the main cannons of the corvettes came online, and blue beams of energy came streaming towards us.

"Evasive Action, Delta 9!" I ordered. "Hail those vessels again, and DO NOT return fire!"

The _Sword of Lucen_ twisted and turned, avoiding the barrage from the nearby corvettes. However, contest was too one-sided to last long, and the drone pilot at the helm was no Jeff Moreau. Plus, the further away we got from the pursuing vessels, the closer we got to Omega.

And its automated station defenses.

Row after row of twin turrets deployed in front of us.

 _Too late for any corrections._

"Get us above the station," I ordered, "And then all hands to escape pods and abandon ship."

"I do not derive pleasure from this statement, Ordained," Cheshire added quietly, "But I _did_ tell you so."

 ** _As did I._**

"Shut up," I snapped, to both Cheshire _and_ Ko'le.

 _Something_ scored a direct hit on our starboard engine, careening us into a blinding tail-spin. I saw Cheshire pull himself ( _or itself… did it have a gender, or did I just ascribe it one?)_ into one of the escape pods, the bulkhead sealing behind him and launching the pod towards the station beneath us. I decided to emulate his example, using my biotics to boost me across the hallway and into an empty seat. Strapped into the other twelve seats were more Liberated Drones, their faces placid and serene.

 _Like the goddam Tranquil in Dragon Age: they don't even realize they could die in the next second. Or maybe they do, and they don't care…_

With a _hiss_ and a THUMP, the pod detached from the Leviathan-made scout ship, and streamed towards the station. Just barely through the tiny porthole, I saw the _Sword of Lucen_ explode before colliding with the station, fragmenting into multiple smaller pieces.

 _Damn. It was such a nice ship, too._

 **The fragments will serve to take out most of the cannons near our estimated impact zone.**

 _That's true, Beast, but what then? We'll be facing down Aria T'Loak's horde? Or has the Conclave seized control of the station. What the hell are they even doing here?_

 **Later, Kevin. Brace for impact.**

The small cylindrical escape pod _crashed_ into _something_. From my secured position, I couldn't see _anything_ , and the small porthole had just gone black. With the screeching and shuddering finally stopped, I unclenched my teeth and looked around. All the drones seemed to have survived, which was a miracle in and of itself. I powered up the onboard systems and checked to see if there was any connection from the other pods. Aside from a signal indicating that they were still broadcasting, there was nothing. No communication, no radio, nothing.

 _Now, for the real question: What are we going to find when we open that door?_

One of the drones reached for a nearby locker that had come open in our abrupt landing, and pulled out a hulking weapon, handing it to me wordlessly (like everything else they did).

The Collector Rifle was an obvious bastardization of the Prothean Particle Beam Rifle, but… with the Collector's love affair of bio-organic matter thrown in for no good reason. Also, it looked like the Leviathans had further modified it to get rid of anything that resembled grace and comfort. The gun was bulky, and jabbed me in places it shouldn't have when I raised it to my shoulder experimentally.

 _Jeez, gonna have to get with Cheshire to overhaul our design team_. _Maybe something that didn't look like was designed by giant space squid with little or NO understand of bipedal mammals' anatomy._

The hydraulic release for the door was jammed, of course, but it was nothing my biotics couldn't handle. With a massive pulse, the door and a portion of the hinge tore free, clanging loudly down the… empty hallway.

We exited slowly, weapons up. Above us, I could see the gaping hole in the floor above where the pod had come tumbling through. The distinct lack of the vacuum of space, however, showed that some kind of emergency bulkhead or force-field had activated to seal the outer section of the station, at least. The drones formed up around me, silently falling into an escort formation as I got moving away from where the escape pod had impacted the station.

 **What is happening here?**

On the list of "things I'd thought might happen when I came back through the Omega-4 relay," being shot down by my own fleet and then crashing into Omega had been... well, despite Ko'le and Cheshire's warnings, it wasn't really on my list. Somehow I always thought I could talk them out of opening fire, or convince them that I had survived somehow. Of course, that would have been easier if the Leviathans hadn't rebuilt me to look like a Predator cosplay.

 _Chakwas… Chakwas could've helped. Microsurgery to remove the Leviathan implants, or skin grafts to normalize my…. looks. Maybe even gene therapy for my claw-like hands._

 **She's gone, Kevin.**

 _Fuck you very much, Beast. Like I didn't know that._

 **Dwelling on what could have happened will aid us little in accomplishing our goals. Now is the time to focus on the task at hand. Miranda Lawson survived the mission. Her experience with the Lazarus Project could help us.**

 _That is… actually a great idea._

 **First we must find her, and then convince her that we are not indoctrinated. But BEFORE ALL THAT, we must find Cheshire and the rest of the drones and navigate a way out of here.**

 _Right… focus, Kevin. Focus._ _I don't know... where is everyone?_

I'd have expected to see someone around after crashing into the ancient structure. If Aria still held the station, she would have anticipated boarding pods, and had gun-crews ready to answer just such a situation. Same if the Conclave had taken over the station. I should be facing at least several squads of soldiers now, or at least panicked civilians rushing to get out of the way.

Instead there was... a whole lot of nothing.

Granted I wasn't exactly wandering around near Afterlife, I wasn't even sure where on the station I was, but I'd have thought I'd see the usual assortment of downtrodden people you ran into on this station.

"Keep your guard up." I ordered, keeping my own rifle at the ready as we exited the alley we'd first emerged into. The street proved to be just as abandoned, to the point where most of the lighting was either offline or flickering badly.

 _Afterlife is near the heart of the core... this looks more like the lower levels, so I need to find a way up._

 _Easier said than done, Kevin. Who knows if the passages are the same in schematics we have?_

 **Just blast holes in the ceiling and jump up.**

 _Great idea, Beast. And get sucked into space when we pick the wrong spot?_

 **Better than wandering.**

Sighing, I just shook my head and kept walking, keeping my eyes open for any familiar sights. Kevin's knowledge of the games was good, but Omega was... well, massive. Even if the games had entirely taken place on station it was entirely possible that most of the real station would never have been explored. Even Ko'le's eidetic memory was useless, as we had never frequented this part of the station before…

A faint stirring of alarm broke me from my internal debate, and I snapped my head around until I found the drone that had focused its attention on an aircar that wasn't ever going to be flying again. The others had already begun to break into a semi-circle around it, all of them pointing their weapons at the wrecked vehicle as their wings buzzed angrily.

I frowned, taking a few precautionary steps back as I tried to figure out what they were so focused on.

 **LOOK UP!**

My head snapped up, my heart hammering into rapid motion as I realized that, while I'd been focusing on making a plan, we'd walked into a relatively open area surrounded by two story buildings... with the crashed car positioned more or less in the middle of it.

"GET BA-"

My command was too little, too late. There was a muted flash from within the aircar's frame, and then I was diving for the ground as a wall of force and noise blew the entire thing apart. I felt maybe half of my surviving drones fall, the pressure wave probably more than enough to kill them even without the pieces of car flying around as shrapnel.

"COVER!" I snarled as I staggered to my feet, my biotics swirling around me in a blaze of green as I tried to find some. After a second's hesitation, I flashed forwards, diving into a nearby doorway that would cover me from most of the taller building's windows. Mentally, I sent a command that sent two drones buzzing upwards, to attempt to gain the advantage of height on our ambushers.

Somewhere nearby, the characteristic _crack-whine_ of a Kishok was followed by a drone tumbling to the ground, most of its skull taken out by the flash-forged harpoon. A millisecond later another spike slammed into my barriers, making me flinch and curse. Wherever they were, they could see me.

 **There!**

Shifting into a quick run, and ignoring the gunfight blossoming around me, I flashed forwards and upwards, straight through the window the sniper had shot through.

An Asari in pitch black armor yelped in surprise as I hit her head on, her heavy rifle tumbling from her hands as she flew backwards. My lips pulled back in a fighting snarl as I summoned my own power, hurling a reave straight at her... only for her to use her biotics flash away to her left as she sensibly got the hell away from me, my fists leaving an indention in the concrete floor where she'd been. Cursing, I blurred after her, firing my bulky Collector Rifle as I went. Here and there, dark figures stepped out, leveling guns in my general direction. With a feeling of annoyance more than anything else, I threw up a small barrier, then blasted the nearest two out the window before following the sniper.

She stayed ahead of me for three more jumps as we tumbled through what might have once been a small apartment complex of some kind. I caught her as she came out of charge number four, all but tackling her as we flew back out in the street. Seizing her by the back of her helmet as I took her to the ground, I slammed it down hard enough to stun her before again summoning my biotics to finish her off so that I could start directing the drones properly.

Just as my reave began to flow out from me, there was an annoyingly familiar quiet snapping sound as a grenade went off right behind me.

Disorientation immediately sent me staggering as the dark energy I'd been gathering was scattered away by the nullifier grenade, leaving my just holding a hand out stupidly towards the woman still groaning beneath me.

Standing, I got my gun up and was trying to find the whoever had thrown the stupid thing when no fewer than six overloads hit me more or less at the same time. Lightning convulsed around me as my armor's barriers shorted out, alarms blaring in my helmet to tell me that several systems I didn't even know my armor had as my protection failed.

I had time to see a Batarian standing maybe thirty feet away, an unfamiliar heavy weapon held in their hands before the incinerates began to hammer at my body. The thing was _shooting_ incinerates at me, the flashes of orange light blinding me and searing my armor even as I stumbled. There must have been more of the nullification grenades in the mix because I couldn't flash away or summon a barrier to protect myself.

 **RUN!**

I tried, lurching away from where the blasts were coming from, feeling the Collector-built armor cracking and beginning to shatter as I did. I managed about one long step before something caught my left ankle, yanking hard enough to send me crashing to the floor. The Asari I'd tackled must have gathered her wits enough to lunge after me.

Cursing, I lashed out with my other foot and was rewarded with another sound of pain as my armored boot collided with something.

The little moment of satisfaction faded as a shadow abruptly loomed over me. Rolling right on reflex saved me from a concussion of my own, a heavy foot slamming down right where my skull had been. Converting the motion into a rising one, I bobbed woozily to my feet and found myself staring down my enemies.

There was... quite a few of them. At least a dozen figures were on the street with me, and I could see more snipers and riflemen openly taking positions on the higher floors around me. They were mixed species, though Batarians and Asari seemed the dominate members, and all were in pitch black armor that lacked any logos or markings. All of their weapons were up and pointed at me, ready to hose me down long before my own rifle could do any appreciable damage to them.

 _Biotics. We need our-_ Another _snap_ of a nullification grenade made me flinch, and made Beast snarl.

 _This... is how it ends? Ambushed by a bunch of thugs on Omega?_

 ** _An apt ending for us then_** _..._

 _Ko'le, SHUT UP._

"You wish to end me?" My throat felt like it tore from the force of my shout, and I felt a tiny bit of satisfaction as my assailants all paused their motions... and when they didn't just shoot me. Ko'le's despair vanished as Beast roared his approval in our mind.

"Come on then! Who thinks they are worthy to end the Seneschal of the Prothean Empire!?"

Silence was their response... until there was an almost girlish giggle from right behind me, my senses recoiling from the vicious satisfaction radiating from its owner. "Always wanted to fight you..."

Beast seized control as I spun around, my gun ready to kill whoever had gotten behind me. A foot slammed into my helmet before I was halfway through the motion, my opponent little more than a whirling blur as she re-chambered for another pair of kicks faster than even _I_ could move. The first hit my rifle, knocking the bulky weapon out of my hands, while the second sent it flying away to land at the feet of one of the others.

A snarl erupted from my throat as I threw a quick punch at her head with my enhanced limb, only for her to nimbly twirl back, taking it as a glancing strike to her helmet rather than a head on collision. She followed the motion with a quick pair of steps back, letting me see... a petite Quarian, dressed the same as the others, even her visor had been polarized to black.

That was all the time I had to analyze as Beast threw us forwards, arms blurring as punches were thrown, my legs burning as kicks and stomps followed them.

She dodged them.

She dodged _all_ of them.

Her lithe little body, barely encumbered by the light armor it was wearing, bobbed and weaved like a dancer before Beast's furious assault, my own punches and kicks thwarted by the heavier, much bulkier armor I was wearing. Her hands idly slapped at my forearms, throwing punches wide. Throwing herself into quick rolls when we charged forwards to try and just tackle her to the ground. Twirling away from kicks and head-butts that would have shattered her armor and left her at our mercy.

And she kept _giggling,_ like for all the world this was the most fun she'd had years.

More nullification grenades were tossed at us, keeping me from just ending this farce with a furious display of biotic power. Apart from that, the crowd seemed largely content to watch, having evidently finished off the few drones that had survived the initial explosion.

"STOP AND JUST DIE!" Beast roared as she once again avoided what _should_ have been a knock-out blow.

His anger only grew as the crowd broke into laughter, several of them shouting encouragement to my opponent, asking her to dance even closer to me.

She hummed as she used a forearm to parry away another punch. Beast tried to pull the arm back, only to realize we'd thrown far too much strength into the strike. Another hammer blow kick from her damnably strong Quarian legs hit me on my right side, apparently in a spot where the mine barrage had torn through my armor because I felt it connect with my actual skin.

Father above, that _hurt._

This time her laugh was lower, more wickedly excited than girlishly amused. Metal glistened as she ducked a quick counter punch, knives appearing in both of her hands before she shot forwards inside my guard. Sparks flew as she sliced at my armor plating, hunting for the weak points. More pain flashed as she found them, leaving shallow but painful wounds behind. Forcing Beast aside, I fell back, keeping my mostly armored forearms up as I switched from attacking to defending.

She was agile, almost unbelievably so, but it couldn't be something she could do forever. If I could just wait out her stamina, I was strong enough to take her out in one or two heavy blows if I could catch her in the head or neck.

A glint in the darkness was all the warning I had, and more by instinct than anything else, I flashed out a hand in its direction. I felt the blade bit deep into my palm, but then also felt my fingers close around the wrist that held the knife. I heard a short snarl of frustration as the Quarian's attack was stopped.

"MY turn, you SLIPPERY BITCH!"

I pulled. Hard. The quarian, to her credit, stayed on her feet, but the effort to do so left her open to the punch to the gut I delivered. Had I had my biotics to aid, it would have gone straight through her chest. As it was, I felt ribs crack under the blow. Beast's howl of satisfaction could be heard as he delivered another blow to the side of the helmet to keep her stunned, then flung her across the alley way against the wall.

 _Beast, the other gunmen._

 **No! We finish her now!**

 _The OTHER GUNMAN, YOU FUCKING….!_

Beast was so focused on ending this little nuisance and keeping Kevin out of the driver's seat, that he never felt the second attacker coming in.

What I _did_ feel was the fist that slammed into my helmet at a million miles an hour, knocking me sideways as Omega whirled around me. I was vaguely aware at the acrid taste in the air around me, informing me that my helmet around my head was now gone. Or at least the visor was shattered.

"What the _actual fuck?_ " A furious male voice snarled. "We don't have the _time_ for this shit!"

"But she's… He's…"

"I _know._ " The words were the last thing I heard as my eyes managed to focus on a dark blur above me, right before something seized me in a rear-naked choke. My heartbeat thundered as I fought for air, but I was winded from my previous efforts and dazed from the initial blow and my accumulated injuries to put up much of a struggle.

The darkness that followed was almost a relief.

* * *

I flinched reflexively as a horrific smell assaulted my nose, consciousness returning far more quickly than I was comfortable with. Especially since my body promptly began to inform me of all of its aches and pains, along with the fact that was really _freaking_ cold.

 _But at least we're alive..._

 ** _For now,_** Ko'le answered indifferently.

Opening my eyes revealed... absolute darkness. Footsteps echoed as someone walked around me, but I couldn't _see_ anything. My initial panic that I'd been blinded subsided only as my mind caught up with what my senses were telling it. Whoever it was that had ambushed us had found a way to take off my armor, or what had been left of it after the fight.

 _Shit. If I still had my Prothean armor, they never would have gotten-_

 ** _If we had our wishes, Kevin, we wouldn't be here in the first place._**

Grimacing, I tried to shift my body around further and was unsurprised to find my hands cuffed to something behind me.

 _And they took all of our clothes too... what the hell is on our neck?_

 **A SLAVE COLLAR.**

Beasts's raw fury welled up in me, and dark energy moved with it. Or at least, normally it would have. Instead all I felt was a throbbing pain in my neck and a giant lack of biotic destruction to go with Beast's frustrated mental howl. The collar had to have some kind of nullifier in it then, it had probably been intended to lock up Asari. Even despite that, the air still crackled with static energy as Beast raged, the collar having obviously _not_ being designed to absorb _this_ much dark energy.

"He's awake." A woman spoke quietly, more footsteps echoing in the space as someone else joined us. "The collar is barely holding…I still say we should have killed him."

"We still might." I flinched a little as the newcomer spoke. His voice was low... and familiar. "Hello again, Imperator."

 **MOTHERFUCKER! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!**

"Kean." I managed to say out loud, summoning up all my willpower to fight back Beast's enraged threat. I'd lived through a lot in my various lives, been stuck in some pretty hair situations... but being chained to a wall, naked in the dark, was definitely calling up some _VERY_ bad memories. "I thought you had a better sense of hospitality."

His voice turned amused. "Are you kidding? You're receiving the Resistance's finest VIP treatment."

 ** _The Resistance?_**

"What Resistance? Resisting what?"

An armored finger flicked my forehead, "You'll get to ask your questions after we decide whether or not you survive. For starters, you're supposed to be dead, not gallivanting around with Collectors."

 _Do we have any choice in this?_

 **Yes. We break loose and KILL THEM!**

Closing my eyes, since keeping them open didn't help, I felt Ko'le, almost unwillingly, join me in pushing Beast back down. Now wasn't the time to lose it, not when we were entirely at his mercy. Our best chance was to keep him talking and try to convince him that it was in his best interests to keep me alive. As a hostage if nothing else.

 _Time is on our side. Cheshire is still out there. It's possible he could find us._

 ** _If they haven't killed him and the other boarding pods already as well._**

"I... basically did die." I admitted quietly. "But I managed to free the Collectors from Reaper control before I blacked out, and they saved me. It took me the last several months to heal, and for them to repair a ship enough to get back through the relay."

There was a quiet grunt. "That reaper tech you're sporting now?"

"I'm not indoctrinated." It didn't take a genius to realize what he was asking. A blind man could have seen that my arm wasn't a natural part of me. "I'm still me."

"Which you?" Kean countered, and then I belatedly remembered that he'd seen Beast take control on Xentha.*

All three of us went through a few mental curses at the luck of running into one of the few non-friends in the galaxy who knew about that, especially since he didn't know the whole story, but he knew enough to be suspicious.

 ** _And apparently he knows about indoctrination as well._**

Swallowing back Ko'le's questions, which Kean probably wouldn't answer, I tried to reassure him: "The _actual_ me. If I was really indoctrinated, wouldn't I have waited to come back with an _army_ instead of a few scouts?"

"I did notice." The assassin replied dryly. More footsteps followed, his voice shifting subtly as he evidently began to pace. "You see, I'm in a bit of an awkward situation right now. _Logic_ tells me that you're indoctrinated, and even if you aren't, you're an enemy I'd be better off eliminating."

I frowned a little at what he wasn't saying. "So why am I still alive?"

There was a long, absolutely silent pause before he spoke again. "Because you might still be useful. Also, you owe me a favor, and it's hard to collect from dead men."

Shaking my head slightly, I let it hang, feeling the slave collar biting into my neck as I did. "Kean... for the love of your Pillars, I've been gone for _six months_. Show me some pity. Why is the Conclave here? Why did they invade Omega? Where are my friends?

 **What the FUCKING HELL is going on?"**

More silence followed Beast's desperate question, and then a muted sigh. Light abruptly flickered to life, making me flinch back even though my eyes had already been closed. It took me a few tries to get them open, revealing a cavern like room filled with rusting pipes and broken pieces of archaic equipment.

Cieran Kean, personal assassin of Warlord Yan T'Ravt, was standing in front of me. He was wearing light armor, colored black except for where Omni-gel patches were visibly keeping pieces of it together. The Asari who'd been silent after her initial words was leaning against the wall to my right, her own equipment in as equally battered shape. Worse, both of them were visibly slumped with exhaustion that their helmets and armor weren't doing anything to hide.

My own equipment was nowhere to be seen, but a quick glance down at least confirmed that they'd left me my shorts. And had even slapped some medigel and bandages around my various wounds.

 _A good sign._

"Like I said." I glanced up in time to see Kean shake his head as he removed his helmet. "We're the resistance now. Your Conclave lured Aria off-station, for _your funeral no less_ , and managed to clap her in irons somehow. And they moved in as soon as she was gone. They control about a third of the station right now."

 _They'd put Operation Pinochet into play?_

 _Why?_

"What started the fighting? Do you control the rest of the station?

"Do we _look_ like we do?" The asari scoffed as she removed her own helmet. Her voice was hard, matching her features. "The rest of the station is divided between the gangs your people tricked into letting them on station. Took them all of a few weeks to start killing each other without Aria to keep them at bay. We're stuck in the warrens, hitting both sides where we can."

"What about the Patriarch?" I asked, "Why did the Conclave come here in the first place?"

The human grunted. "The old krogan? Yeah, he's got a few of the top levels, last we checked. As far as the war, I have no idea. The Conclave actually says _we_ started it, a couple of days after the geth assassinated the quarian who took your post. The last we heard from the Warlords was that _your_ people were launching commando attacks across the Terminus. And someone, no fucking idea who, was taking out FTL buoys all over the place so neither side was coordinating for crap."

I just kind of... stared at him. "Wait, _who_ took my place and _what_ happened to him?"

"Zaal'Koris. Assassinated by the geth." Kean drawled slowly. "He'd been on the job for less than a week."

 _That was... that was_... _No... no no no..._

 _ **Are you honestly surprised, Kevin?**_

 _YES! He'd NEVER have done anything to provoke the Geth!_

 _"_ How?" I asked weakly. "How did..."

He held a hand up. "See the lack of communications comment. We have no idea what the fuck is going on, or what actually happened, but the last word we had before the Omega FTL buoy went down was that the Terminus Systems were being ripped apart."

My eyes closed as I slumped, feeling the cold metal of the shackles biting into my skin. "How long ago was that?"

He offered me a tired shrug. "Four months now, give or take."

 _Shit._

"You're in command here, then?" I asked, trying to formulate some kind of plan. "Of the resistance?"

"No. I am."

The closed eyes and deep sigh Kean let out before turning around showed what he thought of that. The speaker came into the light, red tattoos covering her face, matching the red stripes on her black armor.

My heart sank. "Nyreen Kandros."

 _Shit. Meeting all of the WRONG people on this station today…_

"Do you have any _idea_ how many of this station's people are _dead_ today because of your precious little Conclave?"

"No."

Nyreen's self-righteous rant was cut short before it could even begin. "Wha…what?'

"I've been _fucking DEAD_ for the past six months, for all practical purposes," I said slowly. "I have NO idea what's going on, and NO IDEA who the hell is giving orders for the Conclave, but it's _certainly_ NOT been me!"

A biotically charged fist caught me in the face.

"You're a spirits-fucking _liar_ , Imperator."

" **HIT ME AGAIN, SHE-BITCH,"** Beast snarled before I could stop him. **"IT JUST _MIGHT_ BRING SOME OF YOUR PEOPLE BACK FROM THE FUCKING DEAD..." **

Kean's eyes went wide as he recognized _that_ voice and he reached out and put a hand on Nyreen's chest even as she started to charge another punch.

"Kandros. Maybe we _shouldn't_ punch the prisoner we've got tied up and helpless?"

I smiled as I took in the picture in front of me: the assassin appealing to turian honor. I didn't believe for a second he actually had any qualms about punching a helpless victim. But by the way he kept eyeing the collar I was wearing, I figured he just didn't want to deal with Beast.

Then Beast ran our mouth off again. " **YES! LISTEN TO THE ASSASSIN. TAKE HIS ORDERS LIKE THE GOOD LITTLE GENERAL YOU ARE…"**

Kean let Nyreen go.

My head slammed back against the wall hard enough that I briefly saw stars whirling around in my vision, and I barely registered her grabbing my hair so that she could properly deck me a third time.

 _Beast... when are you going to learn to shut your mouth!?_

"Enough..." I wheezed as I wrested control back. "Listen. I'm sorry about your…"

Her response was punch number four, hitting me square in the mouth and making me bite my tongue.

 ** _I do not think she cares for your apologies, Kevin._**

 _No shit! Why don't you do something useful instead of just brooding!?_

I could practically _see_ him shrug in our mind space, his awareness retreating once again. Leaving it up to me and Beast to find a way out of this situation. The way biotic energy crackled in the air, I didn't even have to guess at Beast's idea of a solution. But then again, by continuing to hit me, she _was_ fueling Beast's rage, and that could overheat the collar and...

The _Crack_ of yet another biotic nullifer grenade coincided with yet another punch to my head, this one delivered without the aid of biotics, but hurting nonetheless. Reeling from the blows and the effects of the anti-biotic weapon, I could _sense_ more than hear some sort of scuffle taking place.

 _Pulling Nyreen off of me, I don't doubt._

I spat blood out of my mouth, checking to make sure my teeth were all in place. They were, luckily enough. Focusing my eyes took longer than I'd have liked, but I couldn't help but slump in relief to see now _two_ asari holding Nyreen back as Kean rubbed his forehead.

"Still alive?" he asked, his words muffled by the ringing in my ears somewhat, but I managed a nod, then turned and spat a bit more blood out.

"Yeah."

"Good, because we're going for a walk." The assassin walked over to stand in front of me, drawing a ridiculously over-sized pistol from his belt as he did. An Executioner, albeit one that looked like he'd modified the hell out of it.

"I'm going to reiterate my point, more for the… _other_ you's sake. You _will_ let us cuff your arms behind your back. You _won't_ so much as twitch during that process. You _won't_ try and escape."

"Or you'll kill me?" I guessed.

"Correct."

 **The MOMENT they let us go we _-_**

 _SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP._

Beast went uncharacteristically silent, and I very firmly shoved him as far back as I could while the two asari, whose names I still didn't know, carefully unchained me from the wall, while Nyreen stared at me all the while. At Kean's motion, and with his gun pointed right at my left eye, they got me on my feet and wasted no time in attaching both sets of cuffs to my arms, pinning them behind my back. Once that was done, we got moving.

Nyreen took the lead, now refusing to so much as look at me, while one of the asari drew a light pistol and kept it pointed at my side. Kean was behind me, and I didn't need to turn to know his hand-cannon would be pointed squarely at my head. The newcomer asari kept a hand firmly yet gently in my armpit, taking some of my weight off my feet.

"Do you know where we are going?" I asked her, glancing around a bit at the decrepit service tunnels we were moving through.

"Our nearest base," she replied evenly. Her voice was definitely softer. Younger than her compatriot by at least a century, if my estimations were correct. "We've got someone there who might be able to verify if you're indoctrinated or not."

 _What?_

 ** _We could scarcely do that in our cycle_** **,** Ko'le marveled disbelievingly, his curiosity rousing him from his usual apathy.

 _"_ Who?" I asked, trying to keep incredulity out of my voice.

"Berra." Kean's voice was definitely a "Shut up and stop chatting" tone.

She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "You'll see soon enough."

* * *

*See _Warlord's Realm_ on my profile for the full story of Cieran Kean and Ko'le Seneschal's first meeting.

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hope you enjoy this latest chapter! Full shout-out goes to Katkiller-V for use of his OCs, as well as beta-ing this chapter. For those who may be worrying about cross-over, I don't intend for Kean and Co. to become regular characters in my fics. However, I do strongly encourage people going to check out the _Another Realm_ series, they're one of my favorite on this site. **

**Tune in next week for the next Chapter:**

 **"The Witch of the Deep"**

 **Please leave your comments/suggestions/reviews, or PM me with ideas for OCs of your own! I love your feedback, even when it's just "Good job, I liked it." It makes my day to get the review notifications!**

 **Thanks again, everybody! EE-RAH!**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

KyuubiNodachi, Giamia, BJ Hanssen: Happy New Year to you too!

Squadpunk 2.0, tamagat: His _armor_ looks like a collector, his hands look like a banshee, and his "hair" looks like a crossover between Hellraiser and Predator.

StrawHatLuffy94, Toothless is best: I appreciate your sticking by me! I hope I don't disappoint!

jackli10345: YOU KEEP on being awesome as well!

METALHELLSPWN, SpecterXCove: That was just one of my pet peeves about Mass Effect – saving the galaxy _three_ times, and no military promotion, whereas Williams goes from Sergeant to Lieutenant Commander, and Kaiden goes from Lieutenant to Major. AAaaand Shepard is still… Commander.

Pietersielie: Glad you liked it. Unfortunately "real life" gets in the way of uninterrupted writing, but I'm excited as well!

GamerDroid56: Hope this chapter scratched at least some of the action itch.

Zeru'Xil, OBSERVER01: Yeah… Meeting Javik again (or anyone really) is going to be complicated.

redcollector: The Leviathans' help comes with a steep price tag, unfortunately.

maesde: Well, we'll be on Omega for a while, but we'll be saving people, killing monsters… you know, the family business.

Dragons guard, Asahar4: Hope to update at least once a week again.

Malhavoc Shadowlord: Wolf Queen won't have a regular update, as I'm trying to focus on Beacon's Effect for now, but I haven't forgotten it!


	4. Omega: Witch of the Deep

**THE DEEP  
OMEGA  
SAHRABARIK SYSTEM**

The walk was an uncomfortable one, not only because of the still-sore bruises, but also on account of the fifteen or so weapons pointed my direction every step of the way. We seemed to walk on for hours, the ground sloping down, and took about a dozen _long_ staircases.

 _We're far below the Kima or even the Gozu District now…_

After Kean's warning earlier, the two asari remained silent for the rest of the time, and Nyreen had resumed her sullen silence. However, after descending what seemed to be the _hundredth_ staircase, the narrow hallway seemed to widen into a wide open area.

"Welcome to The Deep, Imperator," Kean said finally. "I don't think any of your people have _ever_ been down this far…"

 _'My people' meaning Protheans? Or Conclave?_ I wondered, but said nothing.

Nyreen held up a hand, and our party came to a halt. I noticed that several of the guns had left my direction and were sweeping the darkness around us. _Something_ down here apparently was scarier than even me.

Up ahead, two figures emerged from the darkness, prompting several fingers around me to twitch nervously on triggers. As they came into focus, I saw who they were: a quarian and a vorcha. The quarian girl had a skull scratched onto her helmet's visor, but what was even more noticeable was her obviously cybernetic right arm, crude in its materials, yet obviously modified with great care and skill. The vorcha, on the other hand, looked like care and kindness had never touched him. The top left side of his skull was outright _missing_ , newly-formed scar tissue revealing where his left eye was in the process of _regrowing_. A piece of metal had apparently been grafted into his lower jaw, and wires ran from a collar around his neck into his head and neck.

"Whence and whither bound?" The quarian girl asked slowly, a flashlight coming from the Omni-Tool activating on her left arm.

"We're here to see the Witch," Nyreen answered. "We have a possible indoctrinated."

The quarian scanned the various faces in the crowd in front of her, pausing for a long moment on mine, then on the human assassin behind me.

"Kean." Her tone changed from a neutral one to _almost_ pleasant.

"Muerta," he acknowledged.

"Your Xenthan _she-bitch_ didn't come with her knives?"

"Wounded," Kean answered simply. "Courtesy of this one here."

The flashlight returned to my face.

"I like him already."

I obviously couldn't _see_ the smile on Muerta's face through her polarized visor, but I could hear it in her voice. Then the seriousness returned to her tone as she turned back to Nyreen.

"We'll take you to the Arena, but not this many Uppers. Just you, and two guards… and Kean," she added, almost as an afterthought.

Kean grunted in annoyance, but it went ignored by Nyreen, who merely nodded curtly.

"Zynt, run ahead and tell the others that someone comes for the Witch," Muerta ordered the vorcha, who brought up a single-clawed hand and tapped his throat.

"All hearts are lay bare before the Witch of the Deep," a deep, gravelly synthesized voice came from the vocabulator that seemed… grafted into his throat. Then the vorcha turned and scampered into the darkness on all fours.

Muerta followed after, at much more ambulatory pace. Nyreen, Berra, Kean and the black-armored asari whose name I had yet to learn walked behind her. Suddenly, in the darkness ahead, came a single _boom_ from what sounded like someone beating a drum.

 _Boom. Boom. Boom. BOOM._

"She's calling them together," Muerta said over her shoulder. "Apparently you warrant quite the occasion."

"That's what I'm worried about," Kean said quietly under his breath.

"You'd be the last person I'd imagine consorting with _witches,_ Kean," I confessed. "I didn't take you for a religious man."

"I'm _not_ ," Kean scoffed, "I don't believe in _witchcraft_ or wizardry, but I _am_ a believer in results."

The drums were growing louder now, and more frequent. Along the walls of the hall I could barely make out scrawled slogans and banners:

'BOW TO THE WITCH!' one said, right above another which read

'No UnbeLEEVers Past HEER.'

 _Ok. Not the most educated bunch, this lot._

Before us we could see a growing brightness. The interminable hallway finally came to an end, opening out into a wide, open expanse. Up ahead of us could be seen…

 _What the…?_

A massive amphitheater spread out before us, complete with sand pit in the middle. Tents and refuse littered the area, but one could almost see the impressive structure it had been in its day.

"Used to be gladiator fights here, back in Patriarch's day," Kean said, to inform the two gaping asari as much as me. "Just enough to keep his warriors sharp, or execute dissenters. One of the first things Aria did after seizing power was ban them."

"Because _she's_ the model of civility and sophistication," the dark asari scoffed beneath her helmet.

Kean shrugged. "Everything's relative… Regardless, the Deep has fell into neglect and disrepair ever since."

More denizens of The Deep could now be seen Mostly batarians, I noticed, but there were a few turians amongst them, along with a smattering of humans, salarians, and I saw at least two asari. They were thin, gaunt figures, with dull eyes and vacant expressions. Most of them were clad in rags and naked above the waist, both male and female. But more striking than all that was the skull brand that could been seen on all of them, in the middle of the forehead. I noticed it was the same skull figure that was scratched onto our guide's helmet. We were still walking forward, underneath a crudely lashed-together arch, on which were the words:

'The VOID beckons. Believe and Cross OVER in safety.'

 _The Void?_

More figures were coming into the amphitheater, in twos, threes, and larger groups. The drum beats were revealed to coming from five _massive_ drums, with two salarians on each of them beating the tribal rhythm. A row of naked batarian women were swaying and undulating to the beat, the bright yellow and green paint contrasting with their copper skin tones, and their shrill cries rising in the air, rousing more of the fast-assembling crowd to join in.

A lone robed batarian strode to the upraised dais overlooking the Arena. Clearly, that was where Raik Vol had once stood to overlook the games. He raised both of his arms, and the noise level of the crowd went from enthusiastic to _frenzied_. I looked long at his face before I suddenly realized:

 ** _Oh, Father above: that is the Mad Prophet of Omega._**

 _Wait, that doesn't make sense: in the games, he preaches the Word of the Pillars. What the hell is he doing with this cult?_

 **Much has changed from your games, Kevin.**

The Mad Prophet brought his hands down, suddenly, and the drumbeats ceased. Then his voice boomed out, rising above the sudden and startling silence of the crowd.

"VOIDWALKERS!"

 _The FUCK?_

"BOW BEFORE Rashaka, DEMON OF THE NIGHT WINDS! SHE-WITCH of the DEEP!"

 _Demon of the Night Winds…. An Ardat Yakshi?_

A lone asari figure suddenly leapt up in the air, flaring a giant burst of biotic energy, driving everyone around us to bend the knee, several of them prostrating themselves completely on the concrete floor. Nyreen and the rest of our party remained conspicuously standing.

The blue-lit figure of the Witch slowly descended back to the ground. It was almost immediately apparent that she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, besides the long, fringed, almost grass skirt, and copious amounts of body paint. Bells and homemade jewelry adorned her arms and neck, serving to lead the observers gaze towards her face….

 _Mother Above… Morinth_.

"Nyreen… Cieran," Morinth's smile of welcome was predatory, her white teeth flashing in contrast with the black face-paint. "How _lovely_ to see you."

Kean and Nyreen shifted uneasily. The two asari visibly flinched, but I noticed Berra's gaze was glued to the Ardat-Yakshi's breasts.

"What brings you all the way down here _?"_

Kean stepped aside and gestured to me.

"Have a possible Indoctrinated. Need you to do… _what you do_ , and tell us if he's clean… or not."

Morinth's eyes widened, and she took half a step back in shock as her mouth opened slightly. Then her mask of careful indifference was replaced, and she strode forward slowly. I bit back all the questions that flooded my mind, and forced back all the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.

 _Nyreen knows that we once worked together. She was there the last time we were on Omega. Or does she remember?_

Morinth stood before me, looking up and down my frame. Beneath her impassive expression, I could sense… _joy_. Mixed with _pity_ and _wonder._

 ** _I do not doubt it. We are a far cry from the Imperator she remembers._**

The two asari behind me each put a foot in the back of my legs, forcing me down to my knees. Morinth raised a hand to put on my forehead. I think I was the only one that noticed that it was shaking. Morinth's eyes went black.

 _"Forgive me,"_ I heard her whisper, then she brought up both hands on either side of my face.

What followed was momentary and fleeting, but also extremely painful. I had been so taken by surprise that we were _actually_ melding to put up any kind of mental defense. Well, it _wasn't_ a meld, not really; more of a pulse, a general _feeling._ But in that moment, I heard my screams of being "fixed" by the Leviathans, and I heard the frenzied cries of Morinth's cultists as they had fought to secure the ruins of the Great Arena. Even that momentary share, I could _feel_ a burning sensation in the back of my Mind-Palace, and I got a small taste of what it was to meld with an Ardat Yakshi. But I fought down the growing panic in my mind, and as the pulse ebbed, responded with a Mind-Share of my own. From the speed that the connection was established, and the wave of _success_ that I felt, it seemed she had been hoping I would do just that.

In the next moment, the two of us were standing in the cold dark that was my Mind-Palace these days:

 _"Mirala… oh, Mother above… What happened?"_

 _She rushed forward and seized me in a fierce embrace. A choked sob escaped her as she held me close._

 _"I thought you were dead…"_

 _"You thought I was dead?!" she repeated incredulously. "I saw that base explode! Javik said.. he said…"_

 _"He was right… or mostly right," I cut her off. "I… thought it was the end of me."_

 _"How?" she gasped, holding both hands on my face._

 _"Leviathans. Apparently the explosion severed the Collector's connection with the Reapers, and they were there to pick up the strings. They… put me back together. It took a while."_

 _"And it was not painless…" she marveled softly. I shook my head._

 _"I have so many questions," I admitted after a moment's silence. "But…"_

 _"But here and now is not the time," Morinth agreed. "Let's get you out of here."_

Morinth stepped back, her eyes returning from white back to inky-black, and then resuming their normal shade of ice-blue. Her breath came in short, ragged pants.

"Rashaka?" Nyreen asked, stepping forward. "You willing to vouch for this guy?"

'Rashaka' raised a hand, closing her eyes and nodding.

"He's… he's good," she said in answer. "He shouldn't be alive… but he's good."

Nyreen shot a glance a Kean, who gave a "That's good enough for me" shrug. I turned to him.

"Satisfied?"

Kean and Nyreen stared at each other for a long while, then Nyreen gave another nod. The cuffs were removed from my arms, and Kean held up a detonator in his off-hand. He clicked the button on the side of the device, and the collar around my neck powered down with a high-pitched whine. I slowly reached up and removed the cumbersome device, forcing Beast back from trying to kill _everyone_ on general principle.

A few tense minutes later, Morinth and I were in her "private chambers," with Nyreen and Kean directly below us. The whole scene was very tense, but I had too many questions for Morinth.

"I can't imagine your mother deciding _not_ to take you back to the monastery."

Morinth smiled. "Certainly not."

She proceeded to give the details on her covert rescue from her mother by Turro and Jane, and how she and Jane had come back to Omega, shortly before the war broke out with the Conclave.

"Is Jane still here?" I asked, fearing the worst.

Morinth shook her head. "Left soon afterward… well, 'left' might be a mild term for it."

In answer to my quizzical expression, she shrugged. "I put her on the last evacuation shuttle to Palavan when the invasion began in earnest."

"And she was _OK_ with that?"

Morinth winced. "She _might not_ have been conscious at the time?"

Now it was my turn to wince. "Mother Above, she must be _pissed,_ " I chuckled.

"Gotta be alive to be pissed," Morinth replied, with a look I hadn't seen from her before. I took the hint and changed the subject:

"You certainly seemed to have landed on your feet, _Rashaka_. And Since WHEN can you detect indoctrination?"

Morinth took another sip of wine and grinned sheepishly at me.

"You can't, can you?" I asked, understanding beginning to dawn.

"I can do a lot of things," Morinth declared defensively. "That's… just not one of them."

"It's a _con?_ "

"Not completely," Morinth insisted. "I can get people to confess their deepest desires and wants. Early on in the station-war, I and a few of my former Eclipse squad ran into these batarians. I… interrogated them, and they confessed to being indoctrinated. Tried to recruit me for their 'glorious Masters,' or some other such nonsense."

"Ok… but that doesn't explain..."

I gestured to the room around us for dramtic effect. She smiled and took another sip.

"Malaki ul'Shakar, that Prophet? He saw it all go down, and now apparently thinks I'm a witch, sent to be the salvation of the station."

 _OH and_ there _it is._

"And of course you didn't think to correct him."

Morinth shrugged.

"It's nice for a girl to feel wanted."

"Well, I can understand the appeal," I said, toying with the cup she had handed me. "Malaki gets a mystical figure head for his ravings, you get an army of devotees. The costume, though," my eyes wandered down her painted and beaded frame, "leaves little to the imagination."

"Just part of the whole mystique," Morinth grinned, reveling in my discomfort. "This is _not_ the first cult I've started, believe it or not."

She set her glass down, seriousness coming into her expression and her voice.

"Ko'le: I can give you my army: I have the six levels below us loyal to _me_. I have a tacit alliance with that little turian bitch, and her "Resistance", and we're too far down for Blake or Patriarch to take any notice of us. They're all squabbling over Afterlife and the Upper City levels. This is the Deep."

"And you are the Witch of the Deep."

The grin returned.

"Been called worse in a few of my lifetimes."

I took a deep breath.

 _Time to ask the uncomfortable questions._

"And… the Void-walker badges your people sport?"

Now Morinth's body language tensed, and her faced flushed.

"I… needed a symbol my people could rally behind. The promise of a galactic hero returning from the dead… seemed to fit the bill."

"Wait, what?" I asked incredulously. "You turned me into a fucking _Messiah_!?

Morinth set her goblet down with a clatter. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

Her voice cracked with emotion, but I was too angry to notice at the time.

"You created a _religion_ , with _ME_ as the fucking Messiah," I repeated, dumbfounded. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Morinth: I'm nobody's savior. I'm nobody's god, goddess, Jesus Christ, or the Goddamn Easter Bunny. I didn't ask for ANY OF THIS!"

"That's what makes you so perfect!"

I jerked to my feet.

"I AM DEATH! Everyone AROUND ME DIES! Pyke, Zaeed, Jacob, even _fucking_ Chakwas…"

My words failed me, and I suddenly noticed I couldn't stop my hands from shaking. I slowly sunk back down in the chair, all my attention diverted to my balled fists and trying to keep them steady. Morinth was down beside me. Her voice was calm and soothing:

" _Perfect_. Then _become_ death, my love. We don't _need_ another politician. We don't _need_ another leader. We need a motherfucker who will face down the Reapers and kill the fucking sons of bitches."

She reached out, taking my head in her hands

"And yes, you have lost friends and comrades. We have _all_ lost people. But your doubts do not honor you or them. I can give you an army. An army that will live for you, fight for you, and die for you. They have lost _everything_ , and everyone looks down on them and despises them. _I_ gave them a reason to continue living, to FIGHT, and to survive. _YOU_ gave them that. YOU can continue to do that. Or you can dash their hopes and dreams, and tell them that everything they think they know and believe is a lie."

The last of Kevin's mental fortitude seemed to snap, and suddenly, my shaking hands grew grim and hard, as did my voice.

 **"Fine."**

Beast took Morinth's hands in his own, and stood to his feet. I was keenly aware of my actions, but this was that shaky "grey area" where it was hard to see where Beast ended and Kevin began. Ko'le was still _fucking_ MIA, wallowing and lost in his own self-pity. I couldn't let Kevin suffer the same fate. I couldn't let _Beast_ be the most mentally stable personality in my head.

 _Father Below, let me die before that becomes the case._

"Malaki?"

At Morinth's call, the robed batarian came through the heavy beaded curtain. His head inclined deeply to the left as he spoke.

"My Lady?"

Morinth's voice has shifted in octave, and she was Rashaka, Witch of the Deep once again.

"Tell the people that the Time has come. Present the Voidwalker to the Redeemed."

The Mad Prophet's eyes grew wide, and then a fierce and wolfish grin crept over his face. He gestured to the balcony.

"This way, my Lord."

The white-robed priest climbed the steps and stood before the crowd, which seemed to have nearly doubled in size even since we were out there. The rhythmic pounding of the drums grew faster and louder, accompanied by shouts and screams from the cultists. Then, suddenly, a gaunt hand shot up into the air. All noised ceased instantly. Then, it spoke.

"My children!"

The voice seemed to possess a terrible strength compared to the emaciated figure speaking. But even more unsettling than the voice were the eyes. They burned with a fierce, white-hot intensity that threatened to consume all they gazed upon.

"The time is near. Long have we sat here, living in the Depp like animals, driven from the rich and pleasant lives that once were ours! We have been driven into hiding, when once we were the drivers. Our temples have fallen, along with many of our brothers and sisters."

Angry murmuring ran through the crowd.

"But do not despair, my children. I have heard the signs and I have read the omens. AND OUR SALVATION IS NIGH!"

Cheers arose from the assembled crowd, and it was with difficulty that the Prophet regained quiet. He gestured to me, gesturing me to join beside him.

"MY CHILDREN! I give you… OUR SALVATION! He is the Duke of Doom, The Baron of Brutality, The Ha'diq of Hatred, The Rashaka of Rage!

He is the Dalatrass of Death, the Primarch of Pandemonium, the Lord of Lamentation, the King of the Kill, and he is the REAPER OF OUR RETRIBUTION! I present unto you… COMING IN ANSWER TO OUR FERVENT PRAYERS… THE VOIDWALKER!"

If the crowd was wild before, they were _feral_ now, as they took up the cry. Wild hope and reckless abandon was in their expressions and in their horse screams:

"VOID-WAL-KER! VOID-WAL-KER!"

 _Oh, Mother and Father, what a shit-storm. What do we do?_

 **We DEAL with it, as we ALWAYS DO.**

"I MUST MAKE ONE THING CLEAR!"

Beast's booming voice rose high, even above the screams of the assembly. Startled, the cultists stared at each other as they took in the rest of my… _our words_.

"I am no one's GOD."

There was an understandably awkward silence.

"The Road to your salvation is not one I can _lead_ you through. There is no pass from pain, no sparing from suffering. Instead, I can promise you only this: the road to Victory lies on the far bank of a River of Blood and Death. The Tide is in, and All must be Washed before it!"

Thunderous cheers arose from the crowd, and weapons were raised as they screamed their pledges of support to me. The fervor of the room was like electricity, and it sparked deep-seated emotions, long suppressed within my being.

"By the Mother above who gives us life, and the Father below who grants us death, I swear to you: I will lead you into battle against these false gods. We will throw them down from their Dark Temples, and usher in a new and glorious age of light, beauty and music, that will last for a THOUSAND THOUSANDS of years! WE are the masters of our fates, NOT the Reapers! No one tells us when and where we die, save WE OURSELVES! And it is high time we TAKE BACK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS!"

I turned from the cheering crowd, to see that Nyreen Kandros and Cieran Kean had entered the room behind me. Nyreen's expression was one of shock and surprise, while Kean's scowl was more contemplative.

" _That_ didn't take long," he murmured.

"SIT," I gestured to the table and chairs in the corner off the room. "We obviously have much to discuss."

The two asari remained standing, but Cieran and Nyreen shared a glance, and took their seats on the far side.

"You're going to take an army of cannibals and the spirit-swept trash of _Omega_ up to the Upper City?" Nyreen asked, unmasked disbelief laced in her voice.

"They have no armor: They're armed with clubs and knives," Kean observed on a more practical note. "They don't have a prayer of going up against Patriarch's crew, much less the Conclave troops that still hold Afterlife."

I could not suppress my smile at Kean's accurate guess of my plans.

 _Well, almost accurate._

"I am not going to the Upper City to fight them, Kean," I responded. "I am going up there to END THIS FUCKING WAR that should never have started in the first place. I don't need them well-equipped. I need THEM ONLY TO OBEY."

The smirk Kean gave me showed me what he thought of that particular philosophy. Nyreen opened her mouth to say something, but I held up a hand.

"I tried to be nice. I _tried_ to be diplomatic. I bent over _fucking backwards_ to prevent THIS VERY KIND of scenario. Nobody here can claim I didn't!"

Morinth and Kean nodded in acknowledgement, and Nyreen's mouth snapped shut. Her mandibles worked furiously, but she made no reply.

"I'm gone for _six_ months, and the entire Terminus System goes to shit. SO, if you lot will not _LET me save you_ , I will FUCKING _drag_ you, kicking and screaming, into the future. I am moving out against the Conclave-held positions in the upper district; that much is decided. You now have but three options:"

I held up my hand, counting them out on my fingers.

"One: Resist us, and you will lose most of your fighters and more supplies than you can spare, and even _that_ will not guarantee you victory. Two: Join us, and do your part in securing this station _and prevent any more needless deaths._ Or Three: you can allow us to pass through your territory unmolested, and then we'll be someone else's problem to deal with."

In that moment, all the lights and power shut off, not only in the room, but across the entire station. Glaring red emergency lights were the only illumination, bathing everything in a volcanic glow.

 **"Citizens of Omega."**

"What the fuck?" Kean muttered under his breath, his hand going to his pistol out of reflex, and the rest of the party tensed visibly.

 _That voice…_

"Cheshire," I said, smiling somewhat.

"Friend of yours?" Nyreen asked, her hand inching towards the shotgun she wore at the small of her back.

"Didn't know he survived the crash," I answered truthfully.

 **" _You have_ the Imperator of the Conclave prisoner. _I have_ the atmospheric controls for levels 97-103." **

_Oh, shit._

The smile I had been wearing faded.

 **"If you do not release him, I WILL VENT your breathable oxygen and shut down life support."**

"He's bluffing," Morinth scoffed, activating her omni-tool. "Leelanau? Come in. Leelanau?"

There was no answer.

"He doesn't know how to bluff…" I answered, a distinct chill running up my spine.

 **"YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO COMPLY."**

Then Cheshire began to count down FAR too quickly.

 **"TEN**

 **NINE**

 **EIGHT**

 **SEVEN**

 **SIX.."**

"Cheshire!" I whirled to Morinth. "Open a channel to the local Control room!"

Morinth turned her wrist towards me, opening a communications channel.

 **"FIVE, FOUR, THREE…"**

"Cheshire, for FATHER'S SAKE, I'm NOT a prisoner, we FIGURED IT OUT!"

There was a very long and pregnant silence. Then the lights and power came back online, the fans far above us reactivating with a loud clanking _whirr_.

 **"Understood. Recommend sending medical personnel to the Environmental Control Center."**

* * *

 **CONCLAVE FORWARD COMMAND POST**  
 **TUHI DISTRICT**

"LT! Sergeant Calando!"

The armored Con-Sec officer and the elcor NCO strode over to the quarian lookout.

"With underlying tones of annoyance: what is it, Betel?"

"Something's tripped our forward sensors."

"Annoyed: Is it another varren pack?"

"No, sir: something's tripped _all_ of our forward sensors. Across the next nine blocks."

"THEY'RE COMING!" Lieutenant King called out, pulling his Quarian Battle-Rifle off his back. "Get ready!"

The elcor braced, deploying the giant cannon on his back. The massive gun folded up over his shoulder, a targeting reticle appearing over the elcor's right eye.

In the distance, they could see what looked like a dark cloud rise up, and then land in the middle of the street, just out of rifle-range. Then a lone figure emerged, and began walking casually down the street.

"Felix?" the lieutenant asked into his Omni-Tool.

 **"Just the one, sir,"** the drell sniper reported from his hidden vantage point **. "He's unarmed from what I can see. Both his hands are raised: looks like he may be coming in for a parley. Should I pop him?"**

King looked over at the elcor sergeant, who looked back and shook his head.

"Negative," the human officer answered. "This could be a trick, though: keep scanning for anybody trying to take advantage of the distraction."

 **"Roger that."**

"Calando, you're with me," he continued. An elcor was never a bad thing to have on your side, particularly in any kind of negotiation. Even krogan were careful not to piss off an elcor if they had a lick of sense. "Betel, any funny business, you start shooting."

"You got it, sir," the quarian answered, charging his rifle. "We've got you covered."

The two officers made their way down the stairs and out onto the street. Most of the buildings had been bombed or burned out, and no movement could be seen from any of the windows. The lone enemy could be seen clearly now. He was wearing the usual mismatched armor most Terminus mercenaries had: pieces salvaged and scavenged from the dead, sans a helmet, by the looks of it. King drew a pistol and pointed it at the incoming figure.

"That's close enough pal. Any closer, and I stop talking and start shooting."

The figure came to a halt.

"Hold your fire, gentlemen. I am not your foe."

 _That voice… it sounds vaguely familiar…_

Calando took half a step back.

"With incredulity: Imperator?"

 _Impera…? No fucking way._

"Who is your commanding officer?"

The two Con-Sec soldiers stared at one another, scarcely believing their eyes and ears.

"WHO IS your commanding officer?" the Imperator repeated. King swallowed hard, and then holstered the pistol he was carrying.

"Lieu…Lieutenant King, reporting… uh…sir."

"And who is in command of the Conclave forces on this station, Lieutenant King?"

"That…uh…that'd be g-g-General Blake, sir."

King couldn't tell for sure, but he thought he saw the other figure smile, slightly.

"Get on the radio, and tell her exactly what has transpired here. Inform her that Imperator Ko'le has returned, and is kindly requesting a meeting at her earliest convenience."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **We've re-met some old friends, and are beginning to make new ones. How the reunion with General Blake will go, however, remains to be seen. I greatly appreciate all the support and PMs I've gotten, and I hope that you guys will enjoy the future chapters as well!**

 **Next Chapter: ' _Sunset'_ will be out hopefully sometime next week! **

**Please continue to give me your feedback! Reviews are my bread and butter, and getting a notification of a review always brightens even my worst days!**

 **Thanks everybody!**

 **\- Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

tamagat - I assure you, he does... lol

Toothless is best - Ooh! I'll get mine, too! :D :D :D

Appbeza - It's not that the other personalities are weak: they're just slightly traumatized. Ko'le has been literally stabbed in the back and left for dead by his best friend (as well as losing several close friends), and Kevin is kinda rocked back at how badly things have NOT gone to plan. So, the default is to kinda sit back and let Beast treat all problems like nails... only with a giant-ass hammer.

METALHELLSPWN, Deathknight999 - It will indeed take about a dozen miracles to pull this off, but meeting Morinth and taking over an Omega-based cult is at least two... only 10 to go?

BJ Hanssen, Squadpunk 2.0, jackli10345 - Glad you liked it. Full credit goes to Katkiller-V for those elements of the story, and as for Chaos... well, nobody does Chaos quite like Beast.

Guest - I appreciate your candor, and your thoughts! I understand that no matter what ending I go with, some people are gonna be disappointed, but I _do_ have a plan for how this all will tie together. It will be rough, with the Reapers and all, and it will be dark, what with the Reapers and all, but the only way through the forests is through the trees...

Pietersiele - Thanks! Glad you liked it!

dragons guard - you gotta leave your audience hungry for more, and give them a reason to come back!

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	5. Omega: Sunset

**CONCLAVE COMMAND CENTER  
** **TUHI DISTRICT**

"Fuck me."

I turned from studiously examining the wall of the room I'd been ushered into and held for the past hour to see a familiar face in the door.

 _Well, somewhat familiar._

Helena Blake was in full armor, except for her helmet. The lines on her face were drawn, and the bags under the blood-shot eyes revealed exactly how much sleep she had (or rather, _hadn't_ ) been getting lately. The armor itself was in the black and gold Immortals colors, rather than the white and gold Con-Sec pattern I had seen so far.

"As tempting as that offer is," I smiled, "I believe I'll decline, General."

"You're supposed to be dead."

"That's what I keep hearing," I nodded, "Sorry to disappoint."

"I'm not," she shrugged, coming in and sinking down in a chair opposite the small table in the middle of the room. I noticed the herculean attempt to hide the limp she had in her right leg, and the almost silent sigh of relief as the weight was taken off of the offending limb. "I'm just saying it was a hell of a funeral they threw for you, right up until shit started _exploding_."

"I only just heard," I nodded, taking a seat as well. "Zaal'Koris was killed?"

"Him and nearly 20 of the Protheans closest to the coffin the bomb was smuggled in," Helena confirmed, her voice going soft. "Javik wasn't one of them, by the way. He was leading the whole procession, so he got out with cuts and bruises."

I nodded. That was some piece of good news at least.

 ** _Or is it? We will have to deal with him at some point, you know._**

 _I know. But at least he's alive to help Shepard, if need be._

 **Kevin… he stabbed us in the back. Literally.**

 _I know, I know, one problem at a time, SHUT UP!_

"So… who's the representative from the Confederacy, now?"

Helena held up a wagging finger. "Nun-Uhh. My turn to ask."

She ran a long look up and down my armored body. The borrowed armor from the Cult's cache wasn't anywhere close to state of the art (and indeed, it was barely close to _acceptable_ ), but at least I didn't _look_ like I was in Collector Armor anymore.

"The, uh… hands? And the… let's call it 'hair'?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. No matter _what_ I was wearing, the massive clawed hands were still _kind of_ a giveaway. And the _thousands_ of wires running from my spine to my skull, too.

"Leviathans."

To Helena's credit, she just nodded, pursing her eyebrows.

"Thought they were sitting this one out."

I held up both of my hands. "Apparently not. Been being rebuilt for the past six months. They're not great on human anatomy."

She nodded slowly.

"Shala'Raan vas Tonbay is the new quarian representative," she said finally. "But Han'Gerrel is the real authority."

"vas Neema?"

 _Shit. More trigger-happy bosh'tets._

Helena nodded again to confirm, then held up a finger. "And before you ask, Oleg Petrovsky is the new Imperator."

I smiled at her statement, and waited silently for her next question, getting into the flow of this conversation.

"What happened at the Core?" Helena asked. I opened my mouth to answer, and Helena raised a hand. "I've read the official shit Shepard compiled and presented to the Conclave, and the Citadel. I want to hear _your_ version."

I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

"Things went from 'Shit' to 'FUBAR' fairly quickly," I said simply. "Zaeed was the first to go down. Never saw the sniper round that hit him. Bastard died hard, though. Took his share with him."

Blake swallowed hard at the mention of her friend, but made no indication that I should stop.

"We split up the teams, trying to split the enemy's focus, kept sending the wounded back to the ship. But there were… too many of them. They'd overwhelm us in numbers, then while we were struggling to stay alive… somebody would miss something. Next thing I know… Basher's dead, and so is Jacob. When we ran into the Proto-Reaper… Tallaxis and Pyke went down quick. And I… Javik thought I was dead," I finished, making a split decision. "If they were going to get out of there alive, Shepard had only one alternative: blow the base. And so I was left behind."

I held my hands out in a non-committal gesture that I was done talking. Helena inhaled deeply though her nose.

"Of the four commanders on the Citadel that day, you and I are the only ones left," she said finally.

I nodded, unsure what other reply to make to that. Then realized the long silence was her waiting for _my_ question.

"Word in the lower levels is that the comm buoys went out nearly four months ago," I reported. "Your doing?"

Helena shook her head. "T'Ravt. Her Xenthan scout-ships took them out fairly early. I managed to maintain comms for a while, but then suddenly," she shrugged, "Nothing. No word. I sent a few scout ships through the Relay for answers, but got nothing back. Petrovsky's generosity for conscripting the Immortals into the regular army I suppose."

"Petrovsky actually conscripted you?" I asked incredulously. The whole _point_ of the Immortals was to have a military force that could deployed _without_ involving the regular military. "And you were ok with that?"

"It was strongly recommended to me that my quality of life and indeed its longevity depended on my acceptance," Helena clarified. "Kai Leng is not somebody you say 'No' too."

"Leng?"

"Back to being Petrovsky's favorite hound, to be sicced on whatever target Oleg wishes."

 _Damn. Wouldn't have expected that…_

"So all the Conclave forces on this station…"

"…are Immortals," Helena confirmed. "And it's my turn, by the way."

"Apologies. Pray continue."

"What are you going to do with that army of rabble you have poised on the outskirts of my Green Zone?"

"That entirely depends on you. With Aria behind bars…"

"Not anymore."

 _In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary…_

"Come again?"

"The very last message I received from Kahje Command was that Aria had escaped from prison. I was ordered to hold this station for Patriarch, against all comers."

"When was this?"

"Little more than six weeks ago."

I inhaled slowly, then sighed.

"How the hell did this happen, Helena? Why are we at war?"

"According to the official report, Aria T'loak assassinated Zaal'Koris."

"And the unofficial one?"

Helena pursed her lips, and cocked her head.

"It made sense: we were weak and unprepared. She was on station, and tried her damnedest to leave in the chaos. They shot down her shuttle, and pulled her unconscious ass from the wreckage."

"Wasn't there a _trial_?"

Helena's smile was mirthless.

"The Imperator doesn't need one to administrate justice."

 _What idiot designed that system? Oh right I did._

 ** _But nobody ELSE was supposed to be in control of that power!_**

 _Shut up, Ko'le._

"T'Ravt and the Sederis girls hit us first, at Rift and Garvug," Helena was saying. "Losing Rift was what spurred Petrovsky to incorporate the Immortals officially. Operation Pinochet was put into effect, and we were placed on-station to secure it."

Helena shrugged.

"And the rest, as they say, is history. Last I heard, we were besieging Zada Ban, Anderfels, and Redcliffe, and a battle to reclaim Rift was underway."

I took a deep breath, trying to process all of this information. I was vaguely aware of my hands trembling and clenching and unclenching.

"What are you intend to do?" Blake asked finally.

"I _intend_ on retaking my seat in the Conclave Circle," I stated resolutely. "I _intend_ to end this pointless war that only serves to weaken us against the real enemy that IS coming."

The former Chairwoman of the Immortals PMC stared wordlessly.

"You're afraid I'm indoctrinated," I said for her.

"That _was_ a Collector ship my men shot down, wasn't it?"

Another mental groan at Cheshire's stupidity went through my brain before I answered.

"Yes, it was. The Collectors answer to _me_ now. When Shepard set off the explosion, it severed their connection to the Reapers' control."

"And within _twenty-four_ hours of being _shot down_ on a _hostile_ station, you've managed to obtain a cult following?"

" _That_ was sheer luck," I clarified. "Yara D'Len organized them long before I arrived. I just talked her into joining me."

Helena didn't seem surprised at the news that Morinth was the Witch of the Deep, which shouldn't have surprised me. It wasn't _that_ large of a station, I guess.

"How do you even _know_ about indoctrination?" I asked. "I mean, how is it a problem that the _rest_ of the galaxy is even aware of?"

"The Hegemony," came the answer. "Went to hell in a handbasket. Captains starting killing admirals. Most of the _ha'diq_ in both the Terminus and the Traverse are dead, at their own followers' hands, most of them. Khar'shan is a burning warzone. Last intelligence report I read said that Xerol Shaaryak had rallied most of the Faithful, as they call themselves, and embedded himself back on his family's holdings on Khar'shan Minor. In the meantime, refugee ships have flooded Omega, Tortuga, Cartagena, Sanctuary, and every other destination that wasn't actively on fire. Pretty soon…"

"Sabotage," I guessed.

"Defense grids went down," Blake confirmed. "Servers were hacked. Entire systems went dark as comm buoys went down for no reason. It's one of the reason this war has been so fucked up since the beginning."

"Countermeasures?"

"R&D was developing a _few_ things," Blake shrugged, "But that was before most of them got blown up by your empty coffin. Here on Omega, though…"

"They send suspected agents down to be Mind-raped by witches," I finished for her. Her breaking eye contact was enough to give weight to my suspicions: the main method for dealing with suspected indoctrinated was nothing more technical than a bullet to the head.

I slowly stood to my feet. I saw the muscles in Blake's face twitch involuntarily, and the hand that I _knew_ was holding a gun on me under the table shifted, slightly.

"Helena… I'm not indoctrinated," I said simply. "If I was, I would have come through that Relay with a fleet of dreadnoughts. I would have rained a hell-storm of fire and death on what ships remain in orbit around the station, and then lashed out at the surrounding systems in an uncatchable, unstoppable tide of death and mayhem. I would not be _here_ ," I gestured to the table and surrounding walls, "having this conversation with you. So my final question of this exchange of ours is simply this: Are you with me, or against me?"

I could _hear_ the gears and cogs of the Immortal's commander's mind turning as she carefully scrutinized both my form and my words.

"I haven't been resupplied in _months_ ," she said finally. "My capital-class ships were 'reassigned' to different fronts. Me and any other die-hard Immortals were planted on this station and left to die. I don't have many men or ships left, certainly not enough to resist a full scale invasion from Aria or T'Ravt. But such as I _do_ have," she said as she stood, holstering the Carnifax pistol she held in her right hand, "is at your command… _Imperator_."

Relief washed over my mind, and probably my face too, if her wry smile was anything to go by.

"What are your orders, boss?"

 _Right, orders. What orders?_

 ** _You DO have a plan, right?_**

 **I expected to have to kill her and force the rest of her men's obedience.**

 _Offer HELPFUL solutions or Fuck OFF, both of you!_

"First off," I began slowly, "Gather your men together. Coordinate a cease-fire with the rest of Kean's and Kandros' forces. Then I need a shuttle to take me to Afterlife, if that's where Patriarch has set up his headquarters."

"It is, but… I can't promise you won't be shot at."

At my quizzical expression, she winced. "Patriarch and I… have butted heads quite a bit during this campaign."

"Let me guess," I sighed, "he wanted _your_ troops to do the heavy fighting and dying, while he held his in 'reserve' or to 'secure pacified areas.'"

"Pretty much. The old _fool_ just can't seem to grasp that we are not _cannon fodder_ to be expended whenever _he feels like it_. So, I've held the Green Zone, and he's refused to give me any more supplies or reinforcements while he still secures the upper levels. The fact that I've been content to let the gangs kill each other and haven't advanced any lower against the Talons or the other T'Loak loyalists are the only reasons any of us are still alive."

"How strong _is_ Patriarch now?" I wondered.

"Basic Law of the Jungle," Blake shrugged. "They're with him because he's winning right now. The White Tigers have joined him, as well as the Arrows, 88 Crew, Eight-Zero Demons, a few others, but aside from the cadre of krogan that now identify as his _krantt_ , I wouldn't count on many of them fighting Aria if she came back through the relay with a fleet large enough to re-take this station."

A snort escaped me.

"They are wolves, determined to follow whoever is the alpha at the moment."

"If Aria comes back to reclaim this station…"

" _When_ Aria comes back," I corrected. "She is the Queen of Omega. She will not tolerate the jewel of her crown being taken away from her."

"And how do you intend on preventing Aria from overrunning this station and killing us all one by one?"

The blade on my wrist gauntlet (the only piece of my Collector Armor I was still wearing) engaged, the two-foot long blade deploying with a sinister sound.

"I have a few ideas."

The next several hours were bustle and mayhem but I made time to change from my odd assemblage of armor into a standard Immortals suit.

 _Mental Note: find out what happened to my Samurai Mercenary armor from the_ Normandy _._

 ** _Before or after we do something about those massive hands of yours?_**

Ko'le, despite his snark, did in fact have a point: the Leviathan-gifted hands made getting into any armor suit next to impossible. The long claws acted more like chopsticks, a utensil I was never particularly skilled at using. What's more, it also made Omni-Tools difficult. My implanted ones were gone (another thing to thank the Collectors for). I strapped in my left vambrace (that still contained my blade), vowing to develop something, _anything,_ more convenient, or at least, more aesthetically pleasing.

"Ordained."

 _Speak of the devil._

"Cheshire."

I turned to face the hulking synthetic, biting back all my choice words I had for his masters in that moment.

 ** _Not his fault, Kevin. He was built by them, just like we were_** _._

 _Wait, is he an independent droid, or merely a mouthpiece for the space squids?_

 **Who cares? I do not hold his origins against him, merely his lack of sense.**

 _Can't argue with that, Beast._

"The other commanders have assembled, as per your orders. Your shuttle has also been prepped."

I grunted my thanks, and pushed past him. I still didn't have a helmet to wear, my Collector helmet being the only one modified to fit over my cyber-dreads, and that one had been cracked, curtesy of that Xenthan quarian.

The party that had assembled in the other room consisted of the various gang leaders that Nyreen had managed to unite under the Talons, as well as Cieran Kean's small group, some of which still sported Xenthan colors on their armor and equipment. On the other side of the room was Helena Blake and the other Conclave commanders, as well one or two other gangs that answered to the Immortals, including a still mostly-naked Morinth, who was reclining on a couch and _basking_ in the attention that was being lavished upon her, directly or indirectly. Squarely in the middle of the room, and no doubt one of the _only_ reason most of its occupants were _not_ tearing at each other's throats, were seven Collector drones, the survivors from Cheshire's pod. While no weapons were drawn, they were scanning the room wordlessly, watching for any sign of aggression or treachery.

It also did not escape me that most of the pro-Aria loyalists in the room had arranged their tables and chairs to _appear_ casual, but could turned into a barricade at a moment's notice.

"Welcome," I said, loudly, but gently. This brought the low buzz of conversation in the room to a halt, especially when Cheshire had to bend his head to get his giant seven-foot-tall frame through the doorway. While there were muted gasps around the room, not a few hands began twitching towards their various weapons.

"Thank you for coming," I began, and was rewarded for my politeness by scoffs from around the room. I took a breath, and started again.

"For the past several months, you've wasted soldiers, resources, and time which you did not have to spare, trying your damnedest to make each other dead."

I gestured around the room.

"Your presence here demonstrates how successful your efforts in that regard have been."

More chuckles followed this remark, and the tension in the room eased somewhat.

"I, on the other hand, am here, because each of you in this room have arrived at the same conclusion: that you're tired of fighting, killing, and dying, for somebody _else's_ war."

Murmurs of agreement ran around the room.

"I need 24 hours," I said simply. "Twenty-four standard Omega hours of a ceasefire between all sides. No shooting, no looting, no attacks on _any fronts_. You give me that, and I'll do my part towards ending this war."

I stared around the room, feeling and gauging the various reactions.

"And how do you intend to do that?" sneered an asari in the corner. "Six _months_ we've been…"

"Sensat, you're talking again," Kean cut her off. "Get that under control."

The asari glowered, but fell silent. The assassin took a long draw on his pipe, apparently content to say nothing further as Nyreen slowly stood to her feet.

"I don't know what you mean to do, either," she confessed, nodding at Sensat. "But a twenty-four ceasefire is something I think we could all use."

A low murmur began as other leaders nodded, or conferred with their comrades. A batarian male stood in the opposite corner.

"The Brotherhood will honor this cease-fire, Voidwalker," he promised, his head inclining down and to the left.

I looked pointedly at Blake, who crossed her arms, sighed, and also stood to her feet.

"The Conclave will stand down from all offensives. You have my word."

More nods and murmurs of assent went around the room.

 **You know what we must do to end this, Kevin.**

 _Is there no other way?_

 ** _We made him into what he is. This is all our doing._**

 **There is no other way.**

 _I…I don't know if I can._

 **I CAN. Let me. I'll handle it.**

"Very good," I said aloud, to both Blake and Beast. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a war to end," I said, turning on my heel and towards the door. "I paused at the threshold. "Keep your Omni-Tools active for any broadcasts from Afterlife. If all goes well, this shouldn't take long."

"And if all does _not_ go well?" Nyreen asked, her mandibles flaring.

"Then it will take considerably shorter," I shrugged, and moved through the door.

The Conclave shuttle was parked outside, and was already running. I opened the side-door, and was greeted by the sight of a full squad of armed troops, some Conclave, some cultists. Directly opposite the two empty chairs was the quarian with the skull-helmet.

 _Muerta._

"Rashaka send you?" I asked, taking my seat. Cheshire moved his giant frame next to mine. I hadn't bothered with ordering him to stay behind, firstly because I knew he wouldn't obey, and secondly because I couldn't trust him _not_ to kill somebody for "not properly respecting the First Masters" or some shit.

IN answer to my question, the quarian nodded. "She said you wouldn't be thrilled with the idea and probably order us to stay with the shuttle."

"She's probably right," I agreed. "Armed troops tend to escalate most situations."

The head cocked in such a way that I knew she was smiling underneath. "She said you'd say that. She then said to tell you: Appear weak, and your enemies will imagine themselves strong."

"I _told her that chestnut_ ," I retorted, miffed to have my own Prothean proverbs thrown back at me.

Her robotic arm shrugged, "Doesn't make it any less true."

"Makes it more true," croaked the vorcha next to her. _Zynt, his name was,_ if my memory served me.

I sighed, my shoulders slumping in defeat. " _Fine_. But you obey _my_ orders, not Rashaka's. I order to leave me and take the shuttle…"

"We save our own hides with no argument," the quarian chirped in reply, bouncing gaily in her seat. "No problems, boss."

* * *

The shuttle ride was unremarkable, save for the sight of a bombed and burnt-out Omega, bearing witness to the six months of unrestricted house-to-house warfare that had taken place here. Finally, the familiar sight of Afterlife hove into view, and our shuttle touched down at the shuttle dock just down the street. Several squads of armed residents (I wouldn't' call them 'soldiers') met us as we exited, brandishing their largely second-hand weapons, though I did notice a few Conclave-issue weapons and gear among them.

"You da goy dat's supposed ta be dead?" A ragged human took another bite of what I _hoped_ was jerky.

"He IS the Voidwalker," one of the cultists growled. "Show some respect."

I held up a hand to quiet my followers.

"Is Patriarch expecting me?" I asked, calmly.

"Yeah, yeah, 'e said ta take youse to HQ," the human replied, still chewing.

We followed him down the short walk to Afterlife's doors. Bullet-holes and warp-burns showed some clue of what had happened here. The reinforced inner doors showed the same signs of blast damage as we came to a stop.

"Only youse inside," our guide insisted, pointing at me. "Patty's orders."

 _Patty… Patriarch_.

 **Amusing.**

 _Are we_ sure _that there's no other..._

 **Kevin; This is the ONLY way. Stand Aside, if you've no stomach for this.**

"Wait here," I ordered, my voice growing hard with Beast's influence, and then moved through the door.

The club inside was empty, most of the chairs and tables removed, to give room for the multiple command and communication stations that now littered the space. Still prominent, however, was the central bar, behind which an impossibly-ancient krogan in massive battle armor was apparently… pouring drinks for a group of seemingly well-armored individuals.

"No, no, no. He's too dug-in in that little compound of his," Patriarch was chuckling. "Target his family. Bring _them_ down, and he'll come at _us_ , stupid and angry. He'll be easy to bring down then."

"But also more highly-motivated," I added, and all eyes turned to face me. Patriarch's narrowed, then he grinned widely.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! By the bones of my ancestors! It IS YOU!"

One glare at the assembled group was enough to call an unspoken adjournment of whatever meeting this had been. One by one, they slunk out, respectful nods given in my direction by most. Then it was just me and the old krogan.

"I should have known that a simple thing like Death would not keep one such as you," Patriarch chuckled.

I glanced around. "Your _krantt_ has grown since last we spoke, my friend."

Patriarch snorted. _"_ Those _charkas_? They are leeches hoping to drain the _dakkar_ before it dies. It will be a great battle when Aria returns."

I blinked slowly. "It is _that_ which I cannot allow to happen."

A curious look came into Patriarch's eyes. "I do not think there is any force of nature short of Death that can keep the 'Queen' from returning to this place, _Seneschal_."

"No," I agreed, "But this station would not survive another battle. Not in strength great enough to resist the Reapers when they come."

A long silence hung in the air between us, a slight twitch to the old Krogan's lips the only sign that he might know where this was going.

"You have done well, _Mudret_ ," I complimented the ancient krogan, sincerely. "Your deeds are worthy of song and ballad. Your legend will live on, written into the stars themselves."

My tone grew serious again.

"However, there is only one more thing you must do to ensure our victory."

The old warlord drew his shoulders back, rolling his arms to loosen them as his eyebrow ridge rose in mock question.

"And what is that, _Seneschal_?"

My biotics flared, and the blade from my arm extended and deployed.

"Die."

The old krogan merely blinked once, and something like a chuckle escaped his chest.

"Yes…" mused the warlord who had once ruled this station like a king. "Kill me, and my warriors will follow you. Kill me, and Aria will support you, out of gratitude for restoring her place as Queen. Kill me, and T'Ravt's sense of honor will demand she support your forces. And with all of your forces combined, the rest of the station will have to submit. It is a good plan… _Imperator_."

I only nodded once at his acknowledgement of my title.

"Die with honor, Raik Vol. Your name will live in glory."

The Patriarch of Omega merely shifted his walking stick in his hands, into a two-handed grip.

"Thankee-sai, _khan,_ for returning my Name unto me," he rumbled. "One hundred years ago, this would not have been such an equal contest."

I only nodded again. Then I charged, determined to end this quickly. I owed the old warrior that, at least.

That arrogance nearly cost me my life, right there. His right hand twisted, and a two-foot long blade emerged from the end of the seemingly-harmless walking stick. I had to twist _hard_ to the right to avoid skewering myself on the slender spear of metal. I wound up sprawling on the far side of the room, landing in a rather undignified manner.

"ELDAR, begin station-wide broadcast," Raik Vol commanded in his booming voice.

" **Acknowledged,** " the station's heavily-shackled AI obeyed. I locked eyes with the krogan warlord, understanding slowly dawning on me. No matter who won here, the _very_ public victory would strengthen the winner's claim and right to rule this station. I drew up my right arm in a salute, a gesture that was returned.

"RAIK VOL: I challenge you, one warrior to another," Beast roared, "AND ONLY THE STRONG SHALL RULE OMEGA!"

"I do hear and accept your challenge," the Patriarch answered, his voice calm and gentle in contrast. "May the mighty rule, and the weak perish."

Then we were charging, together this time, clashing in the middle of the room in a biotic-flare that scattered couches and tables aside like twigs in a hurricane. Rather than the heavy, crushing blows that _every_ other krogan I had ever fought used, Vol used his spear to keep me at a distance, where my shorter blade could not reach him.

 **He knows the strength of his glory days has left him**.

 _He's quite possibly two_ thousand _years old, Beast._

 **Kevin: his ending cannot be quick. If we dispatch him quickly, everyone will attribute it to his age, and we lose face.**

 ** _Oh, NOW we're concerned about appearances?_**

 **Shut up, Ko'le.**

 _Shut up, Ko'le._

Our fight went back and forth across Afterlife, the ancient krogan hefting barstools and booth-couches at my head when I was out of spear-range. Whatever strength his limbs may have lost, his biotics had gained. Energy-charged objects _detonated_ whenever my own biotics made contact.

I have no idea what that move was called in the games.

 _I'm pretty sure it never appeared in the games._

SHIT.

My own barriers, black as night, _strained_ under the almighty-attacks unleashed by the impossibly-old krogan on the far side of the room.

 **TIME TO END THIS.**

Right when Vol launched another biotic attack, I unleashed a _pull_ on the walking-stick/spear that the krogan held in his massive fists. Of course, the Patriarch's grip on his own weapon was too tight for the biotic pull to _actually_ rip it out of his hands, but it _was_ powerful enough to require him to use both hands to counter my biotic trickery.

Which split his focus _just_ enough...

My biotic charge had carried me _past_ the heavily-armored krogan, and my bladed left arm jabbed at the small of the krogan's back, right where the hump met the waist. The weaker joint of the armor could not resist my biotic-fueled thrust. With a feeble _gasp_ , Raik Vol's grip went slack, and his signature walking stick clattered to the ground.

 _All of these organs and redundant nervous and circulatory systems, but krogan only have the ONE spine…_

With a monumental effort, the massive krogan was _lifted_ above me and, with a blare of jet-black biotics, the body of Raik Vol went hurling through the air to land on his back on the bar, scattering shards of glass everywhere.

The paralyzed krogan wheezed and grunted for breath, unable to move as I made my way slowly towards him. His head lopped back uselessly, making breathing even more complicated, but exposing his neck to my upraised blade. Fingers twitched as his eyes darted about the room finally finding my own.

"Forgive me," I whispered quietly, and then brought my blade down. With a very anti-climactic _shlick,_ Raik Vol's head dropped and rolled across the nightclub-turned-fortress' floor.

Slowly, I walked over and stuck the giant head on the end of my wrist-blade. I turned and held up the grisly trophy to one of the many cameras ELDAR was using to broadcast the confrontation that had just occurred.

"I AM KO'LE SENESCHAL, IMPERATOR of the Conclave, and by right of blade and blood, I claim this station. Is there ANYONE here who disputes my right?"

And all across the station, silence fell, as no one challenged my word.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **We've secured Omega for the Imperator. But at what cost? Now comes the more difficult part: negotiating with Aria T'Loak when she returns. And after that the MOST difficult part: convincing the Conclave that their rightful Imperator has returned, and is NOT indoctrinated.**

 **Thanks for everybody for their thoughts and suggestions. The hardest thing to write are endings, in my opinion, and now this whole story is the final chapter of this series. I know it's not going to end the way some of you might like. But I can only give it my best, which thanks to all of your comments and reviews, has gotten a lot better than the first Beacon's Effect.**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter:**

 **Omega: Here She Comes**

 **Please continue to leave a review, even if it's as simple as "I liked it, please continue." Getting your emails and your thoughts/suggestions/comments and yes your criticisms, is often the best part of my day!**

 **ROCK ON, my friends!**

 **Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Squadpunk 2.0 – Skepticism and suspicions will definitely be the watchword of the story.

METALHELLSPWN – Having a seven-foot-tall synthetic is never a _bad_ thing to have in a straight-up fight, though. Challenge accepted with the surprises, then.

griezz – You gotta do what you gotta do to keep your friends alive. ;) And I don't think the Raloi will withdraw either. Their warrior spirit won't let them abandon their comrades.

maesde, Malhavoc Shadowlord, BJ Hanssen – That's the rub, isn't it? It's all going down in a rush.

Deathknight999, tamagat – That answer your questions?

Toothless is best – That would be… interesting, to say the least.

XCOMHEAVY12 – Ko'le's resumed command of his old Immortals, but as for the Conclave at large, and how the Circle will react to his return… is another matter.

Pieterielie, Nagato21, RG, jackli10345, Dragons guard – Thanks so much! Can't wait to see what you all think!

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	6. Omega: Here She Comes

**ZETA DISTRICT** **  
 **OMEGA**  
 **SAHRABARIK SYSTEM****

It had been explained to me that a _Targa_ was a beast native to Khar'shan; some kind of cross between a bear and a hippo, by its description. It was supposed to be a very dangerous and bloodthirsty creature, fiercely intelligent and cunning.

Its namesakes on Omega, on the other hand, were disgustingly stupid and predictable. The Targa Horde were one of the few gangs who had not been cowed by Patriarch's public defeat and execution. Efforts to talk had been met with gunshots.

 **Can't be helped,** Beast thought. **It would never do to allow sedition.**

 _And we can't afford to leave and try and find out what's going on elsewhere. We'd be just as likely to wander into T'Ravt's fleet or another of the Terminus' endless list of warlords. I think we've learned our lesson about going through relays blind._

 **So, we sit here and wait for Aria. And secure her station for her.**

And so, the past week had been spent on various levels, putting down the holdouts, and making examples. The latter wasn't my choice, more the natural result of the brutal Terminus style of total war. Surrender wasn't something that was offered on this station, much less accepted.

The Targa's battle plan was as simplistic as it was amorally practical. The first wave to hit us had been kids, little more than teenagers, eager to prove themselves and earn a higher place in the gang. They were clad in little more than tin plates, holding pistols that exploded in their hands just as often as they fired something in our direction. They came on, howling their defiance, too young and too stupid to be scared.

And Beast was too blood-drunk to care. Without even bothering to look, he… _I_ fired a single shot in each direction, _knowing_ that a second one wouldn't be needed. Beside me, Muerta knocked aside a crowbar wielded by a screeching kid, who couldn't be older than fifteen. Her metal arm moved, and the kid went sprawling. Her pistol came up, and barked twice at the prostrate form to ensure it wouldn't rise up behind us.

The soldiers with me lifted Omni-Shields and advanced slowly, keeping the older (and better-equipped) gang members' heads down with short, controlled bursts. The mostly batarian members kept their heads down, often raising their weapons above their cover to spray bullets in our general direction.

The next wave coming at us was surprisingly mostly humans, which struck me as oddly progressive coming from a batarian gang. That is, until the few who survived our initial fire got close enough for me to see the slave collars they all wore.

 _Poor bastards. Being gunned down in a suicide charge was probably preferable to whatever lives they had had in this place._

The first explosion scattered a number of Conclave troopers as they had begun to step over one of the fallen slaves.

 **Explosive collars.**

 _FUCK! SHIT!_

 **Idiot. Whoever had the kill switch should have waited until we were almost overrunning them, then detonated** _ **all**_ **the collars, which would have ripped our offensive apart.**

I took a moment to be grateful that the gang leader wasn't as bloodthirsty as Beast was (or at least, not as smart). However early the tactic had been revealed, it still left us with quite a problem: littering the ground between us and the gang's barricades were dozens of slave bodies, each with an explosive collar, turning it into a sickeningly organic mine-field.

My troops had ceased their advance without needing orders from me, taking cover where they could as their barriers and shields were slowly peppered down by the gang's fire. A few of the volus commandos in their heavy mechs simply stood there, absorbing and drawing fire, the combined force barely enough to register on their shields. They couldn't risk advancing either, however, as the most vulnerable point on those suits was their ankles. So both of them simply raised the heavy Rail-Rifles on their left arms, targeting the enemy positions. The heavy guns took a long time to recharge between shots, however, and I couldn't afford to let the Targa get any more "bright ideas."

"That's right, fuckers," I whispered under my breath. "Keep your focus on us."

 _Not much longer now…_

An ear-piercing screech arose from the enemy positions, and suddenly, all incoming fire ceased. I held up a hand and ordered my own troops to cease their fire, the motioned them forward, slowly. I used my biotics to shove the slave bodies aside, a tactic I was surprised to see Muerta emulate, blue biotics wreathing her one arm that wasn't metal.

 _A quarian biotic?_

A drell trooper moved forward to assist, as did a pair of asari. The thin, emaciated bodies shoved aside like paper, their thin frames going over the edge of the walkway to disappear into the darkness below.

 _Mother, forgive us for taking Your beloved children from Your arms._

 _Father, receive them unto Thy rest, and give them peace._

As we approached the first of the enemy positions, a brief glance was enough to tell us they were deserted. The dead men in the first bunker appeared to have been in the middle of attempting to turn the heavy machine gun around to face the rear. Shock, surprise, and abject fear were on the dead, slowly stiffening faces. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Muerta cast aside her pistol, picking up a different model from one of the fallen gang members. This practice was repeated by several of the cultists among us, I saw. While many of them had been equipped from the Immortals' and Patriarch's caches and armories, the simple fact was that there were more fighters now than there were quality guns and armor. Scavenging from the dead was just another rule of life on Omega: They were dead, you were not, and you had the right to do what you could to keep it that way.

We came over the next set of concrete and sheet metal barriers to see a circle of kneeling gang members, with a number of giant figures overlooking them. A wry grin found its way onto my face as I saw Cheshire overseeing a number of Collector drones and armored krogan (the remnants of Patriarch's former _krantt_ ). They had dropped down from the level above us, working their way into the gang's stronghold from the supposedly 'impenetrable' western side.

"Ordained," the giant android greeted as we came into the open square, my soldiers fanning out to secure the outbuildings and surrounding structures. "Areli Sukkoth, the leader of the Targa Horde."

He gestured to a comparatively well-armored asari, a massive bruise on her head just beginning to swell. She was on her knees, her arms tied behind her tightly. I strode over and stood in front of her.

"Areli Sukkoth," I began in my 'Formal Imperator' voice, "You have lead the Targa in arms against me. You are guilty of sedition, rebellion, and treason, pertaining unto your attacks against Conclave positions three days ago, and the massacre of innocent civilians at the Taiga Market two days ago. In addition, you are also guilty of slavery, a perversion abolished by Conclave Law. Here and in the presence of these witnesses, you are arrested, judged, and condemned. What have you to say before your sentence is carried out?"

The asari sneered, and spat, her swollen lips causing the gob of spit to fall short of the distance between us.

"We fought hard for what have here, asshole," she snarled. "And I got these people through the good times and the bad, and we didn't have to _eat_ anybody to do it, either, like _plenty on this station_."

The last phrase was directed towards many of the still-tattooed and branded cultists in the circle around us.

"I say you're no better than me," Areli continued. "You've just got a bigger gang."

A pistol report thundered in answer, and the asari's head whipped back, before slumping forward to rest between her knees.

"Defense noted," I commented, before moving on to one of the kneeling batarians. There were still about thirty or forty kneeling prisoners. Apparently most had thrown down their weapons when things looked like they were not going their way.

 _Huh. i stand corrected: Apparently some people DO surrender on this station_.

"You, _chukka_ ," I said in what I hoped was passable Highborn batarian, nudging one of the better-equipped prisoners with my foot. "Do you understand my words?"

The prisoner risked a glance up at my face, his eyes wide at being addressed in his own language.

" _Sa_ , _Rad'daq_ , _"_ nodded the gang member, using the title meaning _Lord_ or _Master._

"You have come against my people by night with fire and war," I continued. "What punishment should you receive?"

" _Rad'daq_ ," the prisoner answered glumly, his head bowing down and to the left in a sign of extreme supplication, "We expect no other fate than the one given her. _'Warriors who rely on the harsh desert winds will eventually be cut in return.'_ Such is the wisdom of the Pillars."

I cocked an eyebrow at the words.

 _Wouldn't have pegged any of these for the religious type._

"Bravely spoken," I acknowledged, "Yet the Pillars also state, ' _When you draw your sword, the wise warrior does not throw away his scabbard.'_ Yonder are your homes," I said, pointing at the maze of apartments and side streets just beyond the open square. "They are yours."

The captives all looked up, hope coming into their eyes for the first time.

"Go and tell your people of the fates of your brethren!"

I then took the jaw of the first captive in my massive clawed hand.

"Listen, _vetch_ , and listen well: your life is mine, yes?"

The captive gang-banger only gulped and nodded.

"It is mine to give and mine to take away, yes?"

"As the _Rad'daq_ says, it is true."

"Then, by your Pillars, I give it to you, just as I have taken it from your comrades. But you shall return to your homes with far more than a story to tell…"

With that, I deployed my blade with my free hand and slashed a deep line across the gang member's forehead. Simultaneously, a trooper did the same to each of the remaining captives. Screams of agony filled the air as blood flowed freely down their faces. I whirled and strode down the line.

"Listen well, Targa! Your lives are mine, and I give them back to you. You bear my mark upon your bodies, to show the citizens of this station my justice and remind them of my mercy. But hearken well: if anyone bearing arms against me is found with my mark upon his head, then on that day, I will take back what is mine! GO!"

Their bonds now released, the captives leapt to their feet and ran for it, clutching their wounds.

"For this is the justice of Ko'le Voidwalker!"

* * *

 **AFTERLIFE NIGHTCLUB  
** **CONCLAVE COMMAND CENTER**

"You let them live? Seems risky."

"Bodies are useless to me," I shrugged in answer to Helena's comment. "Alive, they spread word that the Voidwalker is not a man to cross."

Helena shrugged. "I'm just saying, in a few weeks, we're going to right back down there, fighting the same people."

"Perhaps," I admitted, "but if I had killed them all, I _absolutely_ would have been back there in a few short years, fighting their younger siblings and their children, seeking vengeance."

Helena opened her mouth to reply when suddenly a turian stood up in his seat, his eyes intent on his console.

"General! Imperator! I have a relay activation!"

Helena and I shared a look before coming alongside the Conclave communications officer.

"How many signatures?" Helena asked.

"Just the one," came the answer, "It's pinging…. A Conclave Identity code. Claims to be… the CSV _Argentine_ , a supply ship out of First Land."

Helena arched an eyebrow.

" _One_ supply ship, after all this time?"

I grinned.

"I think not. Ask for the captain's VR code, Ensign."

The turian nodded before opening a channel to the vessel.

"Conclave Cruiser _Argentine_ , we had no indications of an arrival. Identify yourself."

There was a moment before a voice-only channel was sent back in return:

"This is Captain Lentz. Run voice recognition: alpha, tango, zed. We took damage. Seeking repairs."

The turian typed in the code, which brought up a picture of Captain Lentz, and then pinged green.

"Identity confirmed, Captain," the ensign replied, "hold for approach authorization."

He looked back up at us.

"It's a correct code, Imperator. Awaiting your orders."

"Our codes are over seven weeks old, general," I explained to Helena. "They should have been changed twice-over by now."

Helena's brows furrowed deeper. "But _they_ would know that, so maybe they're relaying an old code on purpose?"

I shook my head. "I would be less suspicious if they had relayed an incorrect code to start with, then explained their error when it didn't come up on our screens. Also, they haven't stopped advancing towards the station since they arrived. A Conclave captain would have stopped and waited for approach authorization."

Then I motioned the ensign to vacate his seat, then relayed a message to the still-incoming cruiser:

"Hello, Aria. I've been wondering when you'd be coming back through the relay."

There was a very long pause. Then there came another voice-only reply:

"There's… there's obviously some confusion here, sir," came a voice that sounded _like_ Captain Lentz.

 _Somebody's created a voice filter. And done a fine job of it too._

"I… I don't…"

"Please stop talking, Captain Lentz, or _whoever_ you are," I cut him off. "I know Aria T'Loak is on that ship. Open a visual connection… NOW."

I stood and re-directed the call to the central holo-projector. There was another very long silence, then the vid-call connected, and a holographic projection of the Queen of Omega came into startling clarity.

"Ko'le."

She was much thinner than she had been the last time I saw her.

 _And those are burn scars on her neck, disappearing into the full-body suit, rather than her in-game catsuit._

 **Remnants of almost four months of Conclave Prison Hospitality, no doubt.**

"Aria," I answered aloud, responding with a respectful nod of my head.

"You're supposed to be dead."

 **I grow weary of hearing that sentence so many times.**

"Was," I clarified, pushing back Beast's angry snarl. "Didn't agree with me. Took me a while to make it back to the Land of the Living, but it seems Athame wasn't ready to receive me in the Sea of Tranquility just yet."

There was the briefest of smirks on Aria's face, then her ever-calculating mask of serenity resumed.

"What happens now?" she asked.

"Well, when your fleet comes through the Relay in about 12 seconds, I'll allow you to come back on board Omega, where you'll find Afterlife ready and waiting for you."

I made a series of hand gestures to Helena, who nodded and turned to give orders to the staff at the various consoles around the room. Confusion and suspicion mixed in equal measure on Aria's expression. Doubt heavily layered her stance and voice:

"That's it? The great Imperator of the Conclave is going to _surrender_? Without a fight?"

"I'm not surrendering anything, T'Loak," I retorted. "This station is yours, and I've fought this past week to convince the thicker-headed on this station of that. I told you when we first met, and will continue to tell you: I have no interest in ruling Omega, or in Petrovsky's little Terminus War. I've got bigger squids to fry, and a bigger swell to sail."

Anger and rage filled Aria emotional aura, though her expression did not waver.

"I don't see Patriarch being on board with this plan."

"He wasn't," I admitted. "That's why he's dead."

I stepped aside out of camera view to show the krogan skull, still on display above the door to Afterlife.

Aria's eyes flickered off-screen for a brief moment.

"As Bray is no doubt telling you," I continued, resuming my place on-screen, "Your scanners will show that _all_ of my ships' weapon systems are powering down, as are their barriers. They are moving into formation with their bows pointed _away_ from your incoming fleet. I couldn't array them to fight you in time if I wanted."

Aria pursed her lips, then slowly pressed a button on her console. Not even three seconds later, a massive cruiser came snapping into view, followed by dozens of smaller freighters and corvettes.

"At the _first_ sign that this is a trick…" she hissed.

"Your fleet will blow us all to kingdom come, yes," I waved dismissively. "Docking Bay 7 has been cleared for you. Oh… and welcome home, Aria T'Loak."

* * *

A short while later, Docking Bay 7 was the scene of tense expectation. Eight shuttlecraft, each with the Eclipse logo emblazoned on the side were touching down at each of the landing platforms. I had half-expected for Aria to bring the _Argentine_ and dock directly with the station, as a show of force, but apparently 'discretion' and 'caution' were the watchwords of the day.

 **More like 'suspicion.'**

 _True._

The door on the nearest shuttle opened, revealing Eclipse troopers in full reflective gold armor, their weapons drawn and ready.

 _Eclipse Elites_. _That means that… yep._

Leska Sederis straightened from her seat, her stance tall and proud as she made her way down the walkway. If she was shocked by my somewhat harrowing appearance, she made no indication of it, aside from a slight cocking of her head.

"General Sederis," I acknowledged, with a slight bow at the waist, as befitted an asari of her rank.

"It IS you," she replied, somewhat less formally.

I gestured with a massive hand to my form, ending with scraping a claw against one of the cables coming from my otherwise bald head.

"What is left of me… yes."

" _Goddess…"_

Leska turned and opened an Omni-Tool, relaying a signal which I assumed to be an "All-clear." Then she turned back to me.

"There are nearly forty ships in orbit around this station," she said. "If any treachery is attempted on your part…"

"There are thirty- _four_ ships in orbit around Omega, Leska," I responded mid-sentence. "Do _not_ make the mistake your _mother did_ and think me a fool."

At the mention of her mother, there was a flicker of both anger and amusement that crossed Leska's face.

"When Aria arrives on-station, you may bring as many guards with you as are needed for your peace of mind," I soothed. "But treachery has never been a fault of _mine,_ Lady Sederis."

Leska retained her doubtful expression, yet nodded at my words. The empty shuttles took off and headed back out of the station, making room for the next wave, these bearing the sigil of the Queen of Omega.

Aria's bearing was as regal as ever, yet I saw an unmistakable stiffness in her left knee as she walked, and she looked like she might also be wearing a back brace for support. The ever-loyal Bray was another giveaway: following just a _little too close_ behind his mistress, ready to catch or support her if she stumbled. But she made it all the way down to face me. I simply stepped aside and indicated with my left hand that we should proceed together.

The walk to Afterlife was a short one, the main purpose in selecting Docking Bay Seven. The atmosphere was slightly chilly, the two of us walking side by side, unsure of what to say to each other.

However, when the second doorway opened, we were met by a rising cheer from the fast-assembling crowd around omega's honorary capital building.

"Aria! Aria!"

"O-ME-GA! O-ME-GA!"

Aria started at the crowd's roar, but the shock on her face was quickly replaced by a carefully calculated smile, and an upraised hand to acknowledge the crowd. We walked up the steps to Afterlife, where she turned and waved to the crowd again before following me inside, where rows of my troops were standing at attention along the walls and balcony.

Also assembled were delegates from no fewer than twelve of the major gangs of the city, along with Kean and several of Aria's loyalists on the station, who were greeted with a courteous nod from their Queen.

In the middle of the room was laid out the signature couch. Aria beamed a genuine smile of delight as she sank down onto the familiar cushions, but I didn't miss the slight hiss of pain as she leaned back, putting her arms out over the back of the couch.

"I've actually missed this thing," she said, grinning.

"I can imagine," I replied, grinning in return. "Harrot here went to enormous trouble to restore it after Patriarch had thrown it out after assuming command here."

Aria inclined her head in a gesture of silent thanks to the elcor merchant, who bowed deeply. Then her gaze returned to me, as I also took a seat opposite her.

"So what now, Imperator? Or is it Imperator still, with Petrovsky in command?" she wondered.

"To you, Aria, I am merely 'Ko'le'," I answered, holding up a hand. "I seem to have lost my Conclave rank when I lost my life at the Galactic Core."

I gestured to my massive clawed hands and my 'hair.'

"Along with my good looks, it seems."

Aria's expression went serious.

"Reapers?"

I shook my head.

"Leviathans. They put me back together and sent me back, along with the newly-liberated Collectors."

There were a series of low whispers around the room. Aria simply nodded once, then cast her eye at the groups of cultists, gang leaders and militia members.

"There are plenty on this station who sided with Patriarch and your Conclave when they invaded this station," she stated, leaving 'And several of them are standing here' unsaid, but plainly understood, judging by the nervous shifting of several of the offending parties.

"Not 'My' Conclave," I clarified quickly. " _Petrovsky's_ Conclave. I bent over backwards to avoid war in the Terminus, and those who claim I didn't are damn liars."

I glared around the room and at Aria's entourage. No one challenged my statement.

"As for those here," I continued, "Those who joined me when I took over this station have shed blood securing this station against many of their former comrades who would not follow you, or accept the possibility of your return."

"And why should we trust those who are so quick to turn on their own?" Leska hissed, glaring at the former Eclipse sister, now leader of the Voidwalker cult.

Morinth spread her hands. "We're leaving with Imperator, Leska. You won't have to worry about us."

That brought the attention of the room back to me. "And where exactly do you plan on going?" Aria asked.

"This stupid war of Petrovsky's is a wasteful distraction," I insisted. "The Reapers are coming, and we'll need every gun and ship in the Traverse, Terminus, Conclave, Citadel, Veil, and Dark Rim to beat them. I 'plan' to go to each of the Conclave Fleets and retake my Seat on the Circle, or at least command of the armies. I intend on ending this pointless conflict."

Aria's lips pursed.

"And Petrovsky?" she asked, hate and anger thinly veiled.

I shrugged.

"He will bow, or he will break."

A murmur of pleased agreement came from Aria's entourage, and not a few Immortals. I decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"The Reapers are coming," I continued, leaning forward. "They have no endgame, no strategy. This will be the simplest war you've ever fought. And the hardest. You have gained back some territory, but you have lost others. You have a fleet here that you anticipated losing more than half of, in an effort to retake this station, which I have just handed back to you without you having to fire a shot."

Another thoughtful nod from the Queen of Omega.

"I can re-take command of the Conclave, and get us organized to fight the Reapers, but first I need _your_ help. It only takes one to start a war, but it takes both sides to end it. And once we've brought one war to an end, it will be just in time to fight another one; this one much harder and with so much more at stake."

"I will ask the obvious question," a voice interjected. A young batarian stepped forward, his armor patterned in T'Ravt's livery. He was apparently young and inexperienced enough to not catch Aria's disapproving expression as he continued:

"How do we know that these… Leviathans have our best interests at heart? How do we know that they will not force you, though hidden conditioning that even you may not be aware of, to betray us all?"

There was anger, doubt, and suspicion in his stance, his words, and in his aura.

"What is your name, _boy?"_ I asked, looking him up and down.

The young batarian seemed to suddenly become aware of how many angry or annoyed expressions were being cast his way.

"Kirwan…Kirwan ul Tirravan….sir."

"Ashak's whelp," Aria explained, causing another wince on the batarian's face. I stood slowly and walked towards him. To the boy's credit, he stood his ground and returned my gaze evenly.

"Well then, Kirwan, son of Ashak," I answered slowly. "You have asked honestly, so I will give you an honest answer: They _don't_."

The boy started, visibly, eyes blinking in surprise.

"They most certainly do _not_ have our interests at heart, boy," I continued unfazed by the murmur running through the room. "They put me back together, and are continuing to cooperate, because they have no bloody choice. The second the last Reaper falls we will be fighting _them_ as they seek to reclaim the 'First Throne' from which they used to _rule_ this galaxy as gods.

Which is why you, and every soldier under my command, are going to keep a _very_ close eye on me. The second I do _anything_ that doesn't scan, you put a bullet in my brain-pan, and that immediately, and with no mercy."

The young batarian swallowed hard, but his head inclined forward and to the left, slightly.

" I…I think I can do that."

I scoffed, but grinned.

"Somehow I thought you might."

* * *

 _FLASH: Individual reporting to be Ko'le Seneschal reported at Omega, Redcliffe, and Anderfels. Conclave forces at each location now refusing attack orders from Central Command. Forces strengthened by reinforcements from Terminus warlords. Requesting orders… END FLASH_

 _FLASH: NEW STANDING ORDERS: Individual claiming to be Ko'le Seneschal presumed indoctrinated. Cooperation and or harboring will be treated as mutiny and treason. Arrest on sight. Bring to Conclave Command for questioning. Standard indoctrination countermeasures to be instated._

 _SIGNED:_

 _O. Petrovsky  
Imperator of the Conclave. _

_END FLASH_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **So now we have Ko'le's forces on a collision course with Petrovsky's Conclave. What happens when the two meet? And what of Shepard, and the Reaper forces? What happens next? Tune in next time to find out!**

 **Next week: Stormclouds: The Pillars of the Earth.**

 **Please continue to share your thoughts with me! It may take an extra 30 seconds, but those reviews are my bread and butter! Getting an email notification with your thoughts/suggestions/impressions really makes my day! Yes, even the constructive criticisms! Even something as simple as "Good job" means a lot to a writer!**

 **Rock on, my friends! Keep on being awesome!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

METALHELLSPWN, Malhavoc Shadowlord: A lot of the upcoming reunions will be tough.

Dragons guard – Yes, but which enemy? ;)

Squadpunk 2.0 – Like Ko'le said: it will be the simplest war you've ever fought, but the hardest…

Deathknight999 – I'll get started answering the MANY questions as they come up.

darthtitan – I'm a firm believer in the maxim "Humor can be retained even in the darkest of situations."

The Mad Author – I'll see what I can do. *evil laugh

Pietersielie, BJ Hanssen, Toothless is best, RakSandman –Equipping Patriarch and empowering him was a contingency plan of Ko'le's, in case Aria ever attacked the Conclave first: to give Omega a secure future. He certainly didn't intend to have to choose between them. But killing off the Patriarch was hard, even for me. And I'm the author, for crying out loud. But it was the only move he could make, unless he wanted to sacrifice hundreds more fighting Aria when she returned to Omega.

Anny-Rudolph – Thanks! And Happy New Year to you too, my friend!

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	7. Stormclouds: The Pillars of the Earth

**KHAR'SHAN MINOR  
** **ASAD SYSTEM  
** **QAFR NEBULA**

A fleek of _Jeddah_ -class bombers swooped overhead, their payload directed at the swarming horde pressing down the thoroughfare. The massive explosions brought not only their offensive to a halt, but also collapsed the two buildings on either side of the street, flooding the nearby area with dust and debris.

"Bomb Wing Rigel, confirmed hit. Fuel cells are almost empty, weapon reserves depleted."

The older batarian winced as an explosion shook more dust down from the bunker's ceiling, but leaned closer to the QE Communicator.

"Well done, Rigel. The carrier _Righteous Fury_ is awaiting you in Sector 11. Get your men out of there, commander."

"Pillar's Strength, Hegemon. We obey."

Xerol sighed slightly. Of course the title had not been confirmed by the Council, much less the Grand Patriarch, but he doubted if more than a handful of those were even still alive. The pitiful remnant he now commanded had begun to call him that, out of some kind of hero-worship, or desperation, he did not know, and by now he was too exhausted to constantly correct them.

The Hegemony had crumbled under this… civil war? 'Invasion' was more like it. His people, once a proud and noble race, degraded into deformed husks that consumed one another to survive. It was the Reapers had taken away everything good from them, leaving only their basest traits and characteristics.

Another explosion brought his attention back to the present.

"Command, this is Red Squad. They are mounting another attack from the west. We are being pushed back!"

"Chen," Xerol spoke, using the commander's first name, "The Pillars are still being loaded into the ship. You _must_ hold."

"… We obey, Hegemon."

He breathed a silent prayer of thanks to _whoever_ it had been who had thought to save the original Pillars from the Grand Temple, even while the batarian capital had burned. They would be the symbol his people could rally behind.

 _The foundation upon which we WILL rebuild_ , Xerol swore to himself.

"Nynsi."

The asari next to him spoke, her voice harsh and grating, but her word's meaning clear.

"Her vessels were needed in the Indris System to evacuate Camala," Xerol shook his head.

"Risky," came the single-word answer.

"All fronts, this is General Shaaryak," the old batarian spoke, using the only legal title he held from Khar'shan. "Begin your evacuation protocols. Save as many fighters as you can."

"Tarath'shan. We must evacuate."

"Ghai," Xerol spoke gently, but firmly to his sworn bodyguard. "I am not leaving until the civilian shuttles clear the relay."

"Hegemon… we have more relay activations! Twenty…no, thirty…forty signatures!"

The old batarian's breath caught in his throat. If these were Reaper reinforcements, his forces would quickly be overwhelmed. But he didn't know who else it could be.

"We are being hailed."

"Put it through," he ordered.

 **"Xerol Shaaryak,"** came an eerily familiar voice, in the batarian language.

"Who is this?" Xerol inquired, wracking his brain to place the strange Highborn accent.

 **"This is Ko'le Seneschal. I have a fleet in orbit that has just cleared the Relay. Where do you need us?"**

There was a stunned silence as the figures in the room shot disbelieving glances at one another. Xerol was the first to respond, motioning the comms officer away from his desk. Dead man or no, he was in no position to turn away aid.

"There are troop transports incoming in the following coordinates," he said, sending the coordinates of the Reapers landing zones. "They are full of indoctrinated and the… transformed. They cannot be allowed to reach the surface!"

There was another moment of silence.

 **"Confirmed,"** came the answer at last. **"My forces are engaging. Get your soldiers and civilians out of there. We will cover you to the Relay."**

The Patriarch of House Shaaryak looked over at another officer, who glanced at the IFF signatures and then nodded back at him to confirm that the newcomers were indeed firing on the Reaper forces.

"Trust?" Ghai rasped, suspicion in her voice and expression.

"We have no other choice, my Harath'krem," Xerol admitted, his mind working feverishly into overdrive. "Come: We will escort the Pillars to the flagship. The rest of you: destroy what we do not bring with us. We leave no one behind."

The rest of the batarians under his command nodded grimly. The command was not so much a noble declaration as it was a practical: they had all fought foes for the past weeks that still bore the disfigured faces of their loved ones and relatives.

They moved quickly and with purpose, as only soldiers to whom failure means extinction can.

* * *

 **SOME TIME LATER**

Onboard the HMV _Desert Star_ , Xerol's flagship, I had yet another tense-filled and suspense-driven debarkation from a shuttle-craft, facing down the barrels of Batarian State Arms-made Terminator rifles and Executioner shotguns. I held up a hand to reassure my own troops that all was well. I slowly made my way down the gangplank, making sure my companion was also prominent.

Xerol was now in full armor, as opposed to the all-white tuxedo I had last seen him in, but he was still leaning on the same cane. His eyes flickered to the batarian walking next to me, and he bent his head slightly forward in recognition.

"Captain Balak," he said slowly. If he was surprised, his batarian stoicism did not show it. "I confess I did not think to see the Batarian External Forces in the ranks of our rescuers. Since the… enemy offensive, we had heard nothing of your forces and had assumed the worst."

"General Shaaryak," Ka'hairal replied, the one-time batarian terrorist inclining his head slightly to the left in respect. "We had assumed the same of the Hegemony. We were preparing to evacuate to the Citadel when we were contacted by… the Seneschal's forces."

The hesitation to call me 'Imperator' was obvious, and did not go unnoticed by anyone. There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Balak looked back to the older batarian.

"General, if I may… my father?"

Xerol's nostrils flared slightly, and he inhaled deeply before answering.

"He ordered his fleet to retreat just as the Reapers began to come through the relay," he answered slowly. "It threw the planetary defenses into confusion, and allowed the Reapers to secure a beach-head."

The head of the Shaaryak clan's head came back and to the right.

"I executed him for his cowardice, and took command of his fleet."

Balak processed this information, nodding slowly, then his lips curled back into a smile.

"Precisely the fate I would have wished for the _chenethtic_ bastard."

He drew himself to attention, and offered the older general a batarian salute.

"My ships are yours… Hegemon. What are your orders?"

"That depends upon the Seneschal," came the answer. I looked back and forth between the two batarian leaders.

 _Perhaps all that remains of the Hegemony._

"The remainder of Aria T'Loak's Black Fleet has been deployed to assist your daughter in the evacuation of what remains of your forces in the Indris System," I reported, seeing the father's shoulders sag ever so slightly in relief. "We will find refuge for your civilians and non-combatants. But your ships will be needed in the fight to come, sir."

"Which one?" Xerol asked, suspicion coming into his voice. "We have heard that Earth has been invaded as well, and our appeals to the Council and Alliance for aid have been ignored, in favor of sending their forces to aid in the effort to reclaim the humans' homeworld."

"We WILL reclaim Khar'shan, Shaaryak," I answered firmly. "And Palavan, Earth, Thessia, Tuchanka: Wherever our foe can be found, we will be there. We cannot match them ship for ship. The Protheans tried that, and we failed. What we must do is outwit them: For all their victories, they have accumulated a fatal flaw: hubris. We will use that weakness against them."

Balak huffed. "I would prefer Stupidity."

"Hubris will do," I grinned slightly. "We will have the Reapers chasing phantasms and ghosts, while we strike in force at their processing centers, their communications, and worlds they have long thought secure. For all their numbers, the Reapers are not omnipresent. And for their power, they are not omnipotent."

I am not Imperator anymore, it is true. I am… more machine now, than man, it is true. But as long as the Conclave insists on wasting ships, soldiers and resources chasing pirates and smugglers when the real foe goes unchecked and unchallenged, the entire Terminus' ability to resist the Reaper invasion is nullified. I BUILT the Conclave with…. I paused before I said _these hands_ , as these were in fact _not my hands_.

...with blood and sweat, and the lives of my cadre, across fifty thousands of years. I am honor-bound to exact vengeance for their loss…. By any means necessary.

The two batarians nodded. This was the kind of honor and justice that a batarian could relate to: blood for blood, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

As long as your fight is with the Reapers, then… Imperator," Xerol answered slowly, "The Faithful will lend you what strength remains within us."

I bowed my head, exhaling in unmasked relief.

"And I will endeavor to be worthy of your trust, sir. Those _ha'diq_ and warlords who remain alive are gathering for a summit at Skyhold. Are you familiar with it?"

Xerol nodded silently as Balak scoffed. "Skyhold? That mining station has been abandoned for _centuries_."

"Then it's bloody unlikely anybody _else_ will be there, isn't it?"

Ka'hairal looked somewhat abashed at the obviousness of the statement, but said nothing else. Xerol shifted to place both of hands on the knob of his cane.

"We must look to our own," he said calmly, "But we will meet you there."

I nodded, and forcibly restrained myself from sticking out a hand for him to shake. With an effort, I kept my hands clasped behind my back. The last thing anybody needed to be focusing on was how much I had been altered by the Leviathans. The quarian hood that I had altered to cover my cybernetic dreadlocks served to pass as a passable head-covering, and also it allowed me to wear a helmet in combat again.

"I will rendezvous with you there," I answered. "If you will excuse me, the war beckons me elsewhere."

The two veterans nodded understandingly, surprisingly asking no questions to _where_ I was going or _what_ I planned to do. I took two steps backwards, then turned to reenter the shuttle, the hanger of the _Desert Star_ clearing in order to accommodate our exit.

I leaned my head against the bulkhead, closing my eyes as sheer relief washed over me. Cheshire leaned forward from his seat on the other side of the shuttle. He hadn't been surprised or even put out when I had asked him to stay hidden on the shuttle: most peoples' initial reactions to the giant varied between somewhere between "terrified" and "Oh god oh god shoot it now."

"Everything go well, Ordained?"

I nodded slowly, keeping my eyes shut.

"They've agreed to come to the summit, at least."

"Too desperate _not too_ ," Cheshire grinned, the repeated gesture earning him the name I'd given him. I hummed non-committedly and shrugged.

"Their ships will be helpful in our invasion of Conclave space."

I groaned, opening my eyes and leaning forward.

"Cheshire," I growled, "We've been over this: I show up with a fleet and _demand_ my seat as Imperator back, it will only confirm what Petrovsky suspects. I try to force my way back, and I'll lose half our forces duking it out with each other.

"If you do _nothing_ , they will assume it is a lie told by T'Loak, to aid her in the Terminus War."

My eyebrows furrowed, my irritation growing.

"I will _not_ step over the bodies of my friends to achieve what I want."

Cheshire cocked his head at an impossible angle, and that damn grin got wider.

"Some of them have _already_ stepped over _your body_ to get what they wanted, Ordained."

* * *

 **SOME TIME LATER**  
 **CSV _Agamemnon_**

I made it back to my cabin, removing half of my armor before realizing that I hadn't turned on the lights, and was sitting in complete and total darkness, yet was quite able to see _everything_.

 _More Leviathan upgrades_ , I thought sullenly, standing and turning on the cabin lights, out of spite more than anything else.

I stared at the hodge-podge suit of armor that now rested on the mannequin in front of me. Conclave armor, mostly, with the distinctly quarian helmet. Large batarian shoulder guards stood out like daggers on each side, and still on the left arm hung the Collector vambrace, the remains of _Lieutenant_ housed within.

I had hardly had a moment to myself in the past week, going from battlefield to battlefield. Answering all the same bewildered questions from aghast people with disbelieving expressions.

Yes, it really is me.

Yes, you thought I was dead.

No, I'm not indoctrinated.

Yes, the Leviathans rebuilt me.

Yes, those are Collectors behind me.

No, I'm not here to murder everyone.

 ** _Can you blame them, Kevin?_**

 _I don't blame them, but it doesn't make it any less goddam ANNOYING!_

"FUCK!"

I looked down to see that my fists had made two massive dents in the coffee table in front of the couch. Then the door chimed.

"Come in," I said, inhaling deeply, trying to find some kind of emotional center. Which is difficult to do when you're three consciousnesses crammed into a single mind.

 _Consciousnesses?_

 _Consciousi?_

The door opened, and Muerta strode into the room.

"The Lady… _General_ D'Len rather, said you wanted to see me?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Take a seat, if you like."

She crossed her metal arm and her organic one.

"I prefer standing, no offense."

"Fair enough," I answered, standing to face her. "I felt I had been somewhat remiss, that's all. You and Zynt have been members of my guard for the past week, and I barely know a thing about you."

The quarian's head cocked to the side, and she leaned against the wall in such a way that I could tell she had a smug grin on her face.

"What, no file on me in that extensive head of yours?"

I smiled.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not all-knowing."

She actually chuckled at that.

"OK, human…or whatever you are now, I'll play along: you want to know about the arm first, or the biotics? That's what the people trying to pick me up in bars usually ask about."

"I'll start with a name, if that's all the same."

Her head cocked to the other side.

"Muerta'Harel."

"vas…?" I left the question hanging.

"nar, actually," she corrected. "Muerta'Harel nar Galaw."

 _Exile_.

"Why were you kicked out of the Fleet?"

Her arms uncrossed.

"Impressive… not many _lethe…_ outsiders know quarian titles," she admired. She squared her shoulders and meet my gaze dead-on.

"I killed my captain."

My eyebrows rose. "There's a story there, no doubt."

"There is," she admitted. "But I'm far too sober to tell it."

I turned and strode over to the mini-fridge in the corner of the cabin. Opening it, I pulled out two bottles, one a turian dextro-beer, and the other was some kind of asari fruity wine mixer. I tossed the bear towards Muerta, who caught it dexterously with her prosthetic.

"We'd better start drinking, then."

* * *

 **TWELVE BEERS LATER**

"So wait, wait, wait," I asked. "the bastard likes to _rape_ little girls as a condition of accepting their Pilgrimage gifts, you stab said bastard, and they _still_ kicked you out of the Fleet?"

"No," Muerta corrected, her pointed hand swaying with the effects of the multiple empty bottles that lay between us. "The bloody _kenshin_ like to rape little _boys_ , too."

"Oh, equal opportunist, was he?"

"Yep." Muerta took another drink from the straw she had inserted into her beer. I felt slightly bad, as I had had drinking contests with Urdnot Wrex on straight Ryncol. The twelve or so bottles between the two of us had only served to provide the slightest of buzzes at my fingertips.

"Aaaand there t'was no evidence t' back my shide," Muerta was saying. "Even dead, the bastard had friends on the Conclave. He was one of that bitch's Xen's biggest shupporters too, so she had a vested interest in wanting me hushed up. Didn't take a genius to see which way the engine was turning. So I just left," she mumbled.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," she nodded. "Took the shuttle full of eezo I had brought for my _karking_ Gift and headed back t' Omega. Been there ever since, doing what I could. Got the news from other milk-drinking Pilgrims that I had been tried, convicted, and exiled _in my absence_."

That prompted a series of chuckles and giggles.

"And the arm?"

"Oh, that's not _nearly_ as interesting," she shrugged. "Got into a scrape first week back on Omega. Bullet pierced the fore-arm, just below the shoulder. Careless of me, really. Would have died, except I traded the larger portion of eezo to one of the only decent medicos on the station. But the arm was septic by then, and he had to take it off at the shoulder. It's a _gorram_ miracle I didn't die, to be honest."

She made what I assumed to be the quarian equivalent of the middle-finger into the air.

"UP YOURS, ANCESTORS!"

I chuckled, and held up another Omega Ker Red. "Another?"

"Shhhhhure," she managed, her metallic arm nearly taking my head off as she lashed out in a brutal vice-grip, trying for the bottle.

"I _think_ you might want to stick to your real arm for this one," I suggested.

"But it t'isnt _all_ bad," she said, complying with my offer. "Saved Zynt from bleeding out. Little _ju-ju_ 's been with me ever since. 'Course, I've made sure he's never went hungry, too. Might have something tod oo w'it. Withit."

She leaned back into the chair, pulling her knees up to her chest, I think to help support the bottle.

"Ur not as shcary as everybody thinks."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

"Yep." She pointed a finger at me. "Ya'know what your problem is?"

"I have an inkling, but I'd love to hear what you think."

"You care too much."

 _Ok. That I did not expect._

"You care what people think about you. You care if they _like you_ or not. Care if they stay alive. Care if they're _karking_ happy and fulfilled. Me? I go where the wormhole takes me. Give no shits, take no prisoners, that's me…"

She took another sip through the straw.

"I've worked with gangsters, drug runners, _slavers_ , warlords, and yes…. a cult. And now here I am, sipping beers with the undead Imperator of the Conclave. And wanna know my secret?"

"You don't give a shit?" I guessed.

"ZZZZzzzactly."

I gave a half-grin.

 _Not exactly a paragon of virtue or loyalty._

 **She may have a point, Kevin. You do care too much _._**

 _And you don't even care about your OWN safety, Beast. Somebody HAS to care._

Before I could make another reply, my Omni-Tool buzzed. I leaned back and opened it.

"Go ahead."

 **"Apologies, Ordained,"** Cheshire intoned. **"But we are picking up a distress signal. General Blake said it would be of interest to you."**

"Why?" I leaned forward, my curiosity peaked.

 **"It originates from an _Ohulu-_ class freighter. Designation: CSV _Iswanee_." **

_Nom Rota._

"Divert immediately!" I ordered, shooting to my feet. "Scramble the fleet into a wide search pattern. Trace the signal source, and get us there as soon as you can!"

 **"It will be done."**

The _Iswanee_ was just like I remembered it: the round, turtle-like ship was powered down, touched down on a random asteroid. It was battered and beaten, but still the same ship that Nom Rota had first brought to the unnamed and unknown docking station at the Citadel all those years ago.

 **All those years? It was little more than three years ago, Kevin.**

 _Well, feels that way, anyway._

 **Again with the feelings.**

I strode forward as the final docking procedures with the _Agamemnon_ were completed, and stopped short when I was looking down the barrel of a volus exo-suit's Rail Rifle. Right behind were the spinning barrels of an elcor mini-gun, with two asari behind.

"Nom?"

The massive suit of armor jerked back, then the center console opened, revealing a familiar portly frame.

"Ko'le?"

I nodded slowly.

"Plenix for all, you ARE alive, you lucky bastard!"

The next second I was enveloped in a volus hug around my waist.

"You are the luckiest, the canniest, and the most welcome _Earth-clan_ I've ever seen!"

"With sheer joy and exuberance: It is good to see you again, Ko'le."

"It's… good to see you too, Kapena," I ventured, returning Nom's fierce embrace.

This was _definitely_ the first time I'd gotten a welcome like this since being back. I patted the volus captain's back softly. He stepped back, looking me up and down.

"Thank every deity that exists and all the ones that don't that you're back, Ko'le," Nom said, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward into the ship. "Now, we've got no time to lose: Grissom Academy is under attack!"

 _Wait, what?_

"If we can get this damned hyper-actuator working again, the old girl will be back on her feet!" Nom continued, as if informing me that the Alliance training academy was being attacked was small potatoes. "Oh, _everything_ will be alright now, now that you're back, Ko'le. Everything will be alright!"

"Nom, wait, _WHO's attacking_ Grissom Academy?"

Nom stopped what he was doing and slowly turned back to me.

"The Conclave."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Special shout-out goes to Katkiller-V, for helping me with the batarian sections of this story.**

 **Sorry for this chapter taking a while to get out, everyone, but real life seems to have no respect for a writer's endeavors.**

 **So, we have a reunion with some old friends, and we've some new faces with which to get acquainted.** **And Grissom Academy is now under attack. Means we've gotta go and meet back up with the Psychotic Biotic…**

 **Hope you guys will keep on reading and reviewing! It means a lot to me to hear back what you all are thinking, or even what you'd like to see in the future.**

 **Thanks, everybody, and please, let me know what you think! No review is too short, even if it's just, "Good job!" or "I liked it."**

 **Tune in next week for _Stormclouds: Class in Session_! **

**ROCK ON, everyone! You are, each and every one of you, awesome! And never let anyone (including yourself) make you feel otherwise!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Squadpunk 2.0: Civil War is Kevin's biggest fear, and probably the reason why he hasn't just set course for Kahje by now. Whether or not that's a good call remains to be seen. Ko'le probably would have just shown back up in the Circle and _demanded_ his rank and position back. Kevin… not so much.

METALHELLSPWN: Well, look at it from Oleg's POV: somebody shows up claiming to be the dead Imperator, and then starts taking your troops away from your army.

griezz: This is all true. But at this point, does Kevin care?

BJ Hanssen: Kevin is definitely trying his best to reign in Beast and be the voice of reason in the Mind. However, what he does not have is the Voice of Experience.

Pietersielie: Mass Effect 3 is a bit of a grimmer tale than its predecessors, but I hope to avoid the pitfalls of making the whole story depressing just to convey the idea that the main character is depressed. Trying to throw some levity or some light-heartedness into the mix wherever I can.

Toothless is best: *General Grievous laugh*

 **May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.**

 **EE-RAH!**


	8. Stormclouds: Class in Session

**JON GRISSOM ACADEMY  
VETUS SYSTEM  
PETRA NEBULA **

I leaned back in the chair to double check the mass dampeners. After getting the _Iswanee_ working again, I wasn't about to let her be ripped apart by coming out of FTL too quickly.

Or too slowly and run headlong into the system's star.

 **Kevin. This is a bad idea. Shepard could be here at any moment.**

 _Or she might never arrive at all. I don't know what has been changed or what will stay the same anymore. The Conclave is attacking Grissom Academy. This is our responsibility._

"Re-calibrate the port SD 11.75 micrometers," I reported to Nom, whose bulbous frame sat in his pilot's chair.

"Drella?" the volus asked. "You and Hadasi awake down there?"

 **"On it, boss."**

A beep on my screen a second later showed that the necessary adjustment had been made.

"Those girls know what they're doing," I commented.

"They do _now_ ," Nom chuckled, a sentiment echoed by Kapena in the elocorian co-pilot's chair.

"Whimsically nostalgic: they were hopelessly clueless when they first joined us."

I enjoyed the pulse of genuine amusement, like a sip of a fine wine in my emotional aura.

"Hadasi claims they're two hundred years, but I'm fairly certain the twins haven't even lived a full century," Nom explained. "everything is brand new to them: they just gape and stare at _chom-ing_ everything."

"Uncle Nom?"

Iliaas Rota waddled onto the bridge. Nom's nephew had come onto the crew as an apparent replacement for Elam'Koris.

I paused to remember the young quarian, inhaling through my nose slowly.

"We're coming up onto the Vetus System. I've got one Conclave cruiser and twelve fighters on blockade duty. IFF reads it as the _Nakmor's Rage._

 _Nakmor's Rage…._

My bloody endemic memory recalled the ship's name as the ship of a krogan pirate who had taken the Conclave's Terms of Conscription, essentially amounting to a pardon for past crimes if and when they joined the Conclave military.

And now these pirate conscripts were attacking Grissom Academy.

 _What idiot thought that conscripting pirates was a good idea?_

 _Oh right: I did._

"Cheshire," I called out, dialing the larger destroyer alongside us, "Move the _Agamemnon_ into range and engage the cruiser. Disable, board, and search for any of the students they have already removed from the station."

A projection of the seven-foot tall android appeared on my wrist.

 **"They will rue the day they did not bow to us, Ordained."**

"Your primary objective is to rescue the students, Cheshire, _not_ punish any traitors."

The towering figure nodded in reply. I narrowed my eyes and stared hard at the Leviathan-build android.

"I'll hear you say it, Cheshire: What is your primary objective?"

His eyes narrowed in turn, but slowly, the answer came:

"To save the kids."

The call ended, and I turned to the other three.

"With grim determination: we should get ready."

I nodded.

"The _Iswanee_ will head directly for the station and dock directly with Grissom. Bolts can probably help us hack the doors."

There was a palpable uncomfortable look passed between the three former smugglers.

"Where is Bolts?" I asked slowly, fearing the worst.

"With sad remembrance: All the New Geth were recalled to Ilos, Imperator."

"'Special Assignment' was the only explanation given," Iliaas shrugged. "Bolts said he had to go, and we weren't going to make him stay."

I sighed deeply.

"Right then: we'll have to do this the hard way: how are the twins in a firefight?"

"Powerful biotics," Nom admitted, "A bit reckless, though."

"They're biotics are stronger than mine," Iliaas admitted, "but they just lack the control that comes with practice. No _way_ they're two hundred. I still say ninety years, max."

I set my teeth.

 _These are fucking_ children _on this ship._

 **Children can die in war, just the same as anybody else.**

"Tell them to suit up," Beast said for me, before I could object. "We'll need everyone."

Nom and Kapena slipped into their war-gear, waiting with me at the rear docking station of the ship. Iliaas was at the controls with Hadasi. They would follow, once we secured the landing platform.

 _Kahlee Saunders._

 _Jack._

 _Rodriguez._

 _Prangley._

 **We do not know if they are still here in this timeline, Kevin. Or who is still alive.**

 ** _If any._**

 _Shut up, Ko'le._

With a slight _hiss_ and _thump,_ we were docked with the station. I imagined the _Agamemnon_ and her armaments would be more than enough for the _Nakmor's Rage_. Or maybe it was just that nobody noticed the _Iswanee_ in all the confusion. Regardless, that was one small victory we had already accomplished. I was determined to accept what wins I could at this point.

I reached over, my interface spikes plunging into the airlock controls. Far from the small, unobtrusive wires that would originate from my right wrist and connect to whatever system I needed before, now my palm sprouted barbed blackened tentacles, plunging forward to envelop the control panel entirely, replacing Prothean finesse with Leviathan brute force. I _felt_ the fear and uncertainty of my companions witnessing.

Then the doors opened, and there was no time to think of anything else.

Grissom Academy looked very much like it had in the games: the long narrow hallways opening up into what appeared to be lecture halls and study alcoves. I could see bullet holes in the walls, and here and there the prostrate form of an Alliance soldier could be seen.

Without an Alliance quantum entangler, I did not have the in-game Shepard's advantage of communication with Kahlee Saunders.

 **Right. We do this the old-fashioned way, then.**

We made our way down the narrow corridors, Hadasi and Iliaas joining us. Iliaas' exosuit was much more conservative than his uncle's, with only minimal plating, but the trade-off was that it allowed him to move much faster than his uncle, and didn't interfere with his biotics.

"Haven't you got it yet?"

The sudden sound of the conversation ahead brought us all to a halt.

"Come on! How long does it take to hack a door?"

"A long longer when you have someone _on the other side_ stopping you, asshole!"

Peering around a corner, I saw a squad of four Conclave troops attempting to get into a nearby room. One was huddled by the door controls, with the other three standing impatiently around him.

"And don't _crowd me,_ JESUS, it's hard enough to – "

The end of his sentence was cut off by my biotic charge slamming his helmet against the panel. Before the other three could react, I slammed a ball of biotic energy down into the ground, knocking them all off their feet. Moving quickly, I threw a kick into the jaw of a batarian with no helmet _(idiot)_ and then a biotic-assisted punch to the faces of the other two humans. OR maybe the last one was a drell. It was tough to tell, beneath the armor (which, in my defense, had been the logic behind its design: Unless you looked at the legs, even the turian/quarian models were almost identical to the more humanoid-style armors of the Conclave).

I turned slowly to the door and knocked twice. I wasn't sure if it would be the same as the games, what with so much changed, but I decided to take a chance:

"Director Saunders?"

There was no answer.

"We're here to help," I added.

"That's what the last man at that door insisted," a female voice answered back. "I didn't believe him either."

I sighed.

"If you still have sensor abilities at that control panel, you will see that my ship is engaging with the Conclave forces in orbit abound this station."

There was another long silence, but I could hear the faint _beep_ -ing of someone typing on a console.

"David didn't tell me you were this suspicious, Kahlee."

The beeping stopped.

"You know David?"

"I saved his life at the Citadel," I answered slowly.

The lock turned from red to green, and as the doors opened, we could see a uniformed woman standing behind an overturned desk, shotgun in hand. When we made no move to enter, she slowly lowered the weapon.

"I don't have any qualms with saying I have no choice but to trust you," Kahlee Saunders admitted, walking back over to the panel. "I've sent out a general distress signal, but haven't received any answer."

"What's the situation?" I asked.

"Unknown number of hostiles on the station itself," Saunders said, typing furiously in an attempt to bring the security cameras back online. "They came for the students, apparently."

"How many students do you have on-station?"

"Fewer than thirty," she answered, "Most of them were sent home when news of the Reaper attacks came. A few volunteered to stay."

"Prototype research and the biotic program, most likely," I guessed cheekily.

"Yyyes…" Saunders confirmed, looking sideways at my "lucky" guess.

"Where are they now?"

"Can't tell for sure," Kahlee said, looking intently at the screens. "It says here that Orion Hall has been locked down. Either that is where they are holding students they've already secured…"

"Or that is where you have students holed up and trying to defend themselves," I finished for her. "That's where we're headed."

"I'll try to get to the shuttle bay," Kahlee suggested. "Maybe we can steal a shuttle from there."

"No need, Earth-clan," Nom insisted. "Our ship is docked at Bay E47. The _Iswanee_ will be more than sufficient to hold the students."

I nodded as I processed this change from the in-game mission. "In that case, Nom, Kapena, you two accompany Director Saunders back to the ship. We'll need to move fast, and we'll need your heavy guns to hold the docking bay against any counterattack. We lose the _Iswane_ e, we lose it all. Savvy?"

Kapena nodded.

"Gravely: we will hold the ship and cover your return, Imperator."

At the last word, Kahlee started like she'd been shot, staring hard at me.

" _Oh my god_ ," she said slowly. "With the quarian helmet, I wasn't… It _can't be_ …"

I moved to the door, saying nothing in answer to her incredulity. I had no desire to have the whole "Yes, I'm alive" conversation _again_ , at least until Jack was there too, and then I could have it all over and done with.

"Iliaas, twins, on me," I ordered, double-checking my rifle. It was a standard Conclave Beam Rifle, not quite modified to the specs of my old weapon, but it was a hell of lot better than that Collector piece of crap.

"On your back, boss-clan," Iliaas answered, motioning to the two asari to follow him. The two girls fell in on either side, Hadasi with a Phaestron Rifle, Drella with what looked like a Hornet SMG.

We exited the control center, making our way through a few more empty rooms, bound for the spot marked on our HUDs. Suddenly, we turned a corner to see two Conclave troopers dragging a young boy literally by the heels, the kid feebly attempting to crawl away.

 _In the game, you just had to watch like a chump._

 **Not this time.**

My biotic charge carried me through the window, shattered glass scattering everywhere. The two troopers whirled to try and face this threat, when one of them went down with a three-foot metal spike through his neck. A biotic warp caught the other square in the face with the sound of cracking bones.

"Wha-what?" the kid asked breathlessly, looking back and forth between his rescuers. Iliaas reached over and tugged the bolt free from the neck of the fallen trooper, reloading his wrist-mounted crossbow.

"What's your name, kid?" I asked brusquely.

"Th-Thaddeus Garfunkel, sir."

The four of us shared a look.

"But they call me Spike."

"Ok, Spike," I continued, "Head down that hallway there, towards Bay E47. Director Saunders is there, with a ride out of here."

"NO!" the kid rolled, picking up one of the shotguns. To all of our surprise, he cycled the heat sink, and activated incinerator rounds. "They have my friends, just up the way there. I _will not_ leave them."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Ok, kid," I nodded, "But stay behind Iliaas there. Are you a biotic?"

Spike's jaw tightened.

"No."

"What's your specialty, cutie?" Hadasi asked, batting her eyes shamelessly.

Spike swallowed hard, but managed to stir himself.

"Tech mods," he said, holding up the shotgun to illustrate the point. "I'm currently working on an armor modifier that…"

"Give us the full report later, kid," Iliaas cut him off. "Get your head in the game."

We made our way a bit farther down, when we heard a loud voice ahead of us.

"Reiley Bellarmine, drop the barrier. We're not going to hurt you."

"Stay back! I mean it!" a younger, much more scared voice answered back, a way that very much sounded like he did _not_ mean it.

"Don't be an idiot, kid," the first voice answered back. "Your sister and Honaker there are wounded bad. They need medical attention. We can patch all of you back up. I promise, we have no desire to hurt _anybody_ here."

"You're the asshole who _shot_ them both to begin with!" a girl's voice retorted back.

 _That voice…_

 _NO. NOT POSSIBLE._

"That was entirely - "

The former pirate never got to voice his explanation before being hoisted into the air and slammed into a nearby wall. The other trooper whirled around but then got our combined fire head-on. His barriers and shields collapsed, and his body jerked with each impact. To his credit, he got one shot off from his weapon, but he had four separate biotic barriers to contend with.

"Reiley!" Spike called out, running forward. "Ori! Oh, my god, are you guys ok?"

"Spike?" Oriana Lawson exclaimed with relief. "We thought they got you!"

"They did," the young boy admitted sheepishly. "These guys saved me."

Reiley Bellarmine dropped his biotic barrier.

"Please," he said, his voice cracking. "Seanne's hit. Chris too."

Hadasi shoved him aside, dropping to a knee and applying medi-gel patches to the two kids lying on the ground behind him.

"Oriana Lawson?" I asked Miranda's clone. Her voice hardened, as did her expression.

"My name is Oriana _Turner_ ," she insisted.

 _Right. Adopted Family._

 **What is she even DOING HERE?**

 _No time for that now…_

"Can you get to the docking bays?" I asked, ignoring her correction entirely. "Director Saunders is there, with a ship."

"We were trying to get to Orion Hall," she answered. "The others are there, with… with Miss Naught and Miss Lawson."

 _The FUCK?_

"Your sister's here?"

That question earned me another ugly look.

"We are _NOT-"_

"Yes, yes," I held up a hand to end her rant prematurely. "Hadasi, can they move?"

The young asari looked up at me.

"The girl's just overclocked her biotics, she'll be fine" she explained, gesturing to Seanne. " _This kid_ has a shotgun round to the side."

I turned to our first rescue.

"Spike, help get Honaker and the others to the ship."

The boy nodded, folding his shotgun behind him then, threw an arm around Seanne to help her to her feet while Reiley flared biotics to help pick up the wounded Honaker from the floor.

"You have all done well," I commended the ragged group. "Now, get to safety, and we'll head on to Orion Hall."

Oriana strode over to where the first body had hit the floor limply, and pulled a pistol from the small of the dead trooper's back.

"Miss Law…" she began, then rethought her sentence. " _Miranda_ will be worried about me," she said slowly. Care and concern for her sister were evident in her aura, even as she tried very valiantly to hide them from her words and tone.

I nodded approvingly.

"We'll get them out safely."

"Why is the Conclave even _here?"_ she asked as I turned to go. "Why did they attack us?"

"Miss… Turner," I said, without looking back, "That is a question that I intend to have answered very soon."

We left the students behind, making our way quickly towards the indicated mess hall. Unlike the games, we did not run into any other patrols or (thankfully) Atlas mech-suits.

 _David Archer is here somewhere, along with Octavia and Isaac, with their...prototype shield thing-y._

 **Or maybe they've already been taken.**

As we drew closer, I could hear the _wub-wub-wub_ of biotics and sporadic gunfire.

Also the screaming was getting much clearer.

We stacked up on the door, the two young asari looking definitely nervous, but moving to perform all the correct movements, falling in on either side of the larger, comparatively-heavier armored volus exo-suit.

I held up a hand and counted down from three. The door opened, and we filed into Orion Hall.

And I was utterly unprepared for what we walked into.

Two figures in Prothean armor were _flashing_ around the room in green-black biotic blurs of dark eezo. In the middle of the room, In Alliance uniform, no less, Miranda Lawson held two SMGs, tracking the biotic blurs as best she could, throwing warpfire and barrier fields where she could.

And tracking the blurs directly was the Psychotic Biotic herself: Jaqueline Naught, a.k.a. Jennifer Hill, a.k.a. Subject Zero, a.k.a. Jack.

The few Conclave troopers still alive in the room were content to keep their head down and keep the group of twelve or so students busy with controlled burst of fire, keeping the kids from lending any kind of aid to their teachers.

Not that those kiddies could do anything in this titanic clash.

 **Bad idea, Kevin… Bad idea…**

 ** _"STAY THIS MADNESS!"_**

My shout was aided by my armor's external speakers, dialed up as loud as they could, but it was fueled with desperation and raw pain and fury.

It had the desired effect: every movement and gun ceased down below. Miranda whirled, her eyes wide. Jack's default expression was one of fury, but it also faded into disbelief.

"Ko'le…" Miranda said breathlessly.

The two Protheans straightened, glaring hard at me beneath their helmets.

"It _is true_ , then," one of them said slowly.

 ** _Sanaa._**

"We had thought a clever ruse of T'Loak's," the Prothean commando continued.

"We had _wished_ it a clever ruse," the other Prothean added.

 ** _Tagatose_** _._

"Jack… Miranda," I addressed the two instructors, my former squadmates and comrades. "These guys are out of your league. Get your kids out of here."

The two of them exchanged incredulous looks, but Jack turned to the waiting students.

"What are you waiting for, you pussies? A fucking invitation? MOVE!"

That seemed to spur them into action, and they made for the door we had just entered.

"Iliaas, you and the twins escort them back to the ship," I said quietly. "Go now."

The volus looked sideways at me, but moved to cover the exited students, the two asari in tow. The other Conclave troopers stood slowly, but unsure of what to do, looking to their Prothean commanders for orders, and receiving none.

"You only postpone the inevitable, monster," Sanaa said, testing the weight of the sword as the doors closed behind them, "There is not escape from this station."

"Sanaa, Tagatose, why?" I asked plaintively. "Why do you do this? What _purpose is there_ in the Conclave attacking the Alliance? What honor is found in _warriors_ kidnapping _children_?"

Tagatose set his spear butt down on the polished floor with a heavy _thud_.

"They are needed for The End."

 ** _The End?_**

 _What do they mean?_

My eyes went white, sending a thousand questions via a Mind-Share.

 _Aile…_ I began. _Family..._

" **We are no Aile of** ** _thine_**."

The hate-laced words were a mental slap to the face, severing the connection, bringing me back to reality with a start.

"We _loved_ our brother," Sanaa said, his voice breaking slightly. "We _buried_ our brother."

His twin swords flourished.

"And you are _not him_."

"Brother," I said, desperation leeching into my voice, "It _IS ME!_ I know you thought I had fallen, but…"

"Save your breath, monster," Tagatose sneered, " Javik told us what happened at the Core."

 ** _Mother above, no…_**

"That you fell to his Mercy-Stroke, before the madness could overtake you."

 ** _Father below, have mercy…no._**

Sanaa nodded, "That you stand there is a crude mockery of our brother's memory. And we shall suffer your words and presence no longer."

"Do not do this, brothers," I pleaded. "I beg of you..."

 ** _BEAST, NO, DON'T!_**

Ko'le's pleas fell on deaf ears. Sanaa moved first, as I knew he would. Memories of past battles and past sparring matches flooded my consciousness, drowning out the Seneschal's pleas for his former comrades' lives.

I simply stepped to the side, allowing the otherwise-savage swing to pass _just_ in front of my nose, and engaged Lieutenant from its hidden sheathe. Sanaa's own weight and biotic-fueled charge drove the blade through armor, flesh, and bone. A strangled gasp escaped him as all the air was driven from his lungs.

Tagatose would be coming forward… now. I ducked under the blow that I knew was coming without even looking. Sure enough, the spear passed just above my right shoulder. I leaned backwards, freeing the blade from Sanaa's chest, and fired the blade free of my gauntlet.

At this range, I couldn't miss. And he could not dodge.

Tagatose was more surprised than anything else to find the blade embedded in his right breast, bifurcating the beating heart beneath. He took two more steps before he sunk to his knees, then collapsed onto his face.

Ko'le's strangled cry of pain was pushed back to the far recesses of my brain. I couldn't mourn now: I needed information. I turned back to Sanaa, lying in a pool of his own black blood. But still a chuckle escaped him, as he held a hand to the wound, trying vainly to staunch the bleeding that a blind man could see that the best surgeon in the galaxy couldn't have stopped.

"I confess… I saw that… going down differently… in my head."

"What is the END?" I asked, kneeling beside him. "What is Petrovsky planning?"

Genuine confusion crossed my old comrade's face.

"Petrovsky?"

Another chuckle escaped his lips, along with a trickle of blood.

"The End is your doom, abomination. The End of you and all your kind."

I raised both hands to the sides of his head, my eyes going white.

 ** _Mother, your child has been taken from thy bosom.  
Send him unto thy husband, as a son unto his Father. _**

**_Father, another of thy children comes to thine embrace: a gift from thy lover, his Mother.  
_ _Fold him in thy arms, for he has lived a life worthy of this death.  
_ _Lead unto his rest, or his rebirth, as thou seest fit._**

 _So mote it be,_ Sanaa finished slowly, his grip on the Mind-Share slowly lessening. But the feeling of incredulity and sorrow suddenly washed over me from him. _Brother? Is it really… you?_

 ** _Sa, brother. It is I._**

 _Forgive me… I did not…_

And he was gone. I slowly released him, laying him gently back down onto the floor. Then I looked up, towards the watching Conclave troops, more of which were entering the room every second.

"Who is your commanding officer?"

My words hung in the air for a moment, but then the ranks parted as a massive krogan pushed himself to the front, an equally massive halberd in his hands.

I slowly stood to my feet.

"What now, Nakmor Syed?" I inquired, recognizing him as one of the many lesser warlords who had sworn themselves to the Conclave's service.

The giant squinted his one good eye, hefting his massive weapon. "Behold your doom, _Pretender._ Only the strong may rule."

I nodded, and braced for his charge.

"Syed!"

The pirate-turned-soldier turned at the shout, and suddenly a massive javelin had sprouted from his neck. He gurgled orange blood, staggering back a step, his weapon clattering to the ground as his hands pawed at the wound.

A female krogan in full armor strode forward, an identical javelin in her left hand. With the deadbeat calm and ease that only another krogan can have at killing a krogan, she plunged the second spear through his throat as well, then grabbing both spears, pulled them free, nearly severing the head in the process. As the body fell to the ground, she twirled the spears in each hand, spattering orange blood on each of the nearby soldiers as she turned towards me.

"I am the captain of these men… Imperator."

Nobody moved to correct her.

"And your name… Captain?" I asked.

"Nakmor Chell, my Lord."

I blinked once as my mind processed this new development.

"Order the remainder of your forces to stand down, Captain. Get your men to the shuttles and prepare to evacuate. If any of the students here have been taken to the _Rage_ , bring them back. At once."

"Your will, Imperator."

The next couple hours were spent organizing the cease fire, the hardest part being convincing Cheshire not to slaughter them all as mutineers and traitors. I made my way back to the Docking Bay, and informed Director Saunders that she had no further need to evacuate Grissom Academy. As the students set about putting their school back to rights, I found myself standing by a window, gazing out at the emptiness of space.

"Ko'le…" came a voice from behind me.

"Hello, Miranda."

"You… you _are_ alive."

"Barely. Hello, Director Saunders."

Miranda turned to see that Anderson's old flame entering the room.

"I cannot thank you enough…Imperator," she said graciously, "This station… these kids are safe, thanks to you."

I raised a hand.

"Please, no thanks are necessary. What is more troubling to me is _why_ the Conclave would attack in the first place. Sanaa said the children were needed for 'The End.'"

"'The End'?" Miranda wondered. "What is that?"

"I honestly have no idea," I confessed. "And that troubles me… deeply."

"I've just received word," Saunders said, after a moment of silent contemplation passed. "The SSV _Normandy_ is enroute to this station. Their ETA is only an hour out."

"That's my cue, then." I turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Wait, what?" Miranda objected, stepping in my way, "You're not going to…?"

"Miranda," I sighed, "I just _killed_ two of my dearest comrades, because they could not see past _THIS._ "

I gestured to my face.

"What the hell do you think Shepard and the others will do? I'd rather not have guns pointed in my direction, and have more friends join Sanaa and Tagatose."

Miranda winced at my words.

"You'd have us…"

I blinked twice before continuing, "I… I do need to be somewhere. I have spent too much time here as it is."

"We had heard that several Conclave soldiers had deserted to the Terminus forces," Kahlee stated. "Your doing?"

I nodded slowly.

"Gotta bring an end to this stupid war. There are too few of us in the galaxy for us to be shooting at each other."

I turned back to Miranda.

"So you and Jack are…" I raised my eyebrows meaningfully.

Miranda's eyes widened slightly.

"How did you?"

"Prothean, remember?" I tapped the side of my head. "I can _smell_ you on her, and her on you."

Miranda's eyebrows furrowed in apparent displeasure at being smelled by anyone.

"About… about five months now. After Shepard got us both teaching position here."

"And Oriana?"

Miranda sighed and placed a hand on her hip.

"About two months after we got here. She earned a full scholarship to here from her studies on Ilium. She didn't… know I was here. And I didn't know she would be coming."

Now it was my turn to wince. "Awkward."

Miranda shrugged. "It's been tough," she admitted, "especially with me being her teacher and all, but… I've never been one to back down from a challenge."

I smiled at her.

"I wish all of you joy and happiness."

Then I moved past her, headed towards the hanger bays.

"Ko'le… don't go!" Miranda insisted. "You'll need Shepard's help."

I stopped, but did not turn back to face her.

"Did you see their faces, Miranda? And the faces of each of your students who looks at me? How _you_ look at me?"

Miranda did not answer, so I continued:

"It is fear. It is loathing. It is pity and disgust. And I _cannot_ bear to see it on the face of my dearest friends any longer."

"Ko'le, it's not as bad as you…"

"LOOK AT ME!"

A flare of black biotics filled the space between us. Miranda took a step back, her own biotics flaring out of sheer instinct, her fists coming up to the ready. Then she slowly realized her own actions, and, with an effort, she lowered her hands and barriers.

"I'm… I'm sorry," she apologized abashedly. "I… I didn't…"

I grinned, but there was no mirth in it.

"My point is made, Miss Lawson. When you see her, tell Shepard what I'm doing. Tell her I will bring every ship I can get my hands on to help. The Leviathans put me back together from scratch."

I held up a massive clawed hand.

"They apparently did not have your talent."

I turned and started to walk away.

"Ko'le!"

A hand was placed on my shoulder. I almost shuddered at the contact.

"I want you to know that whatever happens, I believe you," Miranda contined, in a softer and gentler tone. "I… I doubted you before, and you saved my sister. _Twice_. You killed my father to keep her safe. To keep _both_ of us safe."

The hand squeezed comfortingly.

"I am _so sorry_ for what happened. If I had known… If we had thought…"

I put a hand over hers. She did not flinch, but her hands trembled slightly.

"I know, Miranda."

Then I strode from the room, back to the shuttle bay. There, the former invaders of this station were now unloading the same children they had dragged to the ships only hours before. The confusion on the student's faces reflected the absurdity of the situation, but it was what it was. I vaguely heard Jack yelling for Prangley to stop making out with Rodriguez and help. On the far side of the hanger, the _Iswanee'_ s crew was preparing to load up.I began to make my way that direction.

"Ko'le!"

Jack strode over, her signature rag-tag uniform and her grown-out Mohawk-styled hair.

"Jack."

I cast an eye up and down as she paused, clearly not having thought her part of this conversation through.

"I like your hair?" I offered.

She glared and flipped me off, but there was a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"So… thanks," she managed. "There, I said it: Thanks for helping…and shit."

"You do not think me a misshapen and vile monster, come from the Void to steal your soul?"

"Hey, I know a thing or two about not judging people by their looks."

I smiled now, and cast a hand towards the students, many of whom were being reunited with family members and best friends.

"Your students are well-trained and capable. You should be proud."

"They're stupid kids," Jack scoffed, "Still thinking they can take on the world with nothing but good looks and attitude.

She looked over at me.

"But they're _my_ stupid kids, dammit. And I _am_ proud of them. And anybody who messes with them will deal with _me_."

I raised another eyebrow, and received a punch in the shoulder for it.

"Look at me, going on like one of those fearless leader types. It's mostly your fault you know. Yours and Shepard's."

"I will… gladly accept blame for that, Miss Naught."

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER***

The _Agamemnon_ , _Nakmor's R_ age, and the _Iswanee_ now made their way towards the relay, running through the last of the pre-FTL flight checks and systems reports.

 _Fuck. This will be tough._

Despite my best efforts, we had not gotten free of the of Grissom Academy in as timely a manner as I might have wished. Now the _Normandy_ was too close to the relay for us to launch for our rendezvous at Skyhold. So now, we had to time our approach with the _Normandy_ 's arrival, and as soon as the frigate exited FTL, we were going to complete our approach and be off.

 _That's assuming that nobody starts shooting._

 **One problem at a time, Kevin.**

The three ships starred at the giant space tuning fork, drawing ever nearer.

"I have _three_ signatures on the sensors, sir," a batarian officer called out from her station.

 _"_ Three?" I pondered. "Any indication as to who they are?"

"I have… SSV _Normandy_ and…. yes, sir, the other two vessels are broadcasting as the _Trafalgar_ and the _Leipzig._ "

I grinned.

 _Shepard: out to find your lost ships to add to your War Assets_ …

With a silent blur of color, the three Alliance ships came _snapping_ into focus, the smaller frigate dwarfed by the two larger cruisers. Even the _Agamemnon_ would have been no challenge to either of them, and she was the largest of the three Conclave vessels.

"Captain Rota, Captain Nakmor, you have clearance," I commanded. "Make your Relay approaches."

 **"With exultant triumph: Aye, aye, Imperator."**

 **"Your will, Imperator."**

The two smaller ships dipped down from our position above the relay, then were slingshotted into the Expanse.

"Sir, we are being hailed," the communications officer reported again.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Precisely what I _didn't_ want to happen.

"Let me hear it," I finally said, as were drawing closer and closer to the relay.

The batarian nodded, and played the hail over the bridge speakers.

" **DAD?"**

 ** _EDI._**

 _FUCK ME._

That I did not expect.

 **"Dad, can you hear me? Please, if it's you, say something. Please…"**

I sank down in the chair, putting my head in my hands.

My mutated, awful, blood-stained hands.

The hands that had just killed two of my brothers.

Because they could not see past what Javik had told them, and my horribly mutated and scarred visage.

"Audio only," I croaked as I reached for the button to connect the call.

 **"Dad! Please! I beg of you!"**

"Hello, my dear girl."

 **"DAD!"**

The pure joy and exaltation in the A.I.'s voice was enough to break my heart.

"I'm so sorry… so sorry. I love you… so much."

 **"Dad, wait! Where are you going? Don't –"**

And then the _Agamemnon_ was launched into FTL.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Next week we have the Skyhold Summit, where Ko'le will put forward his case before the warlords that remain, as well as whoever of the Conclave decides to accept his invitation and show up. Hopefully, this will allow Ko'le to avoid any more incidents like this.**

 **But for now, let me know what you guys think! Even the simplest reviews mean a lot, and I really do mean that.**

 **Tune in next week for** **Stormclouds: Skyhold Summit.**

 **ROCK ON, everyone!**

 **Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Nagato21, Boomburst: It was good for me to bring the _Iswanee_ crew back as well! I think the charm of Nom Rota's character is that he genuinely thinks the best of his friends (which is refreshing in this galaxy of conniving, back-stabbing plotters).

maesde, DaToskin, Pietersielie, BJ Hanssen, Deathknight999: It is definitely an eff-ed up situation, no doubt about that. I think next week's chapter will answer some of your questions, but it just might raise a few others. ***spoilers**

METALHELLSPWN: "The more things change, the more they stay the same" could almost be the overarching theme of the Beacon's Effect saga.

RG: True, it might come to that. But then the question is: what happens after that?

Toothless is best: "Well, I don't see any skulls on our armor… and no swastikas, neither…" :P

jackli10345: Thanks! Let me know what you think!

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	9. Stormclouds: Meeting at Skyhold

***SKYHOLD MINING STATION***  
 **GRAZ SYSTEM**  
 **THE PHOENIX MASSING**

The Skyhold mining station had been a massive undertaking by the Stella-Cidid Mining Corporation, nearly two hundred years ago. The asari company had poured millions of credits setting up the station as a processing plant for the nearby eezo mines. With its strategic location between the Terminus Systems, Citadel space, and the Hegemony territories, it promised to become a station to rival Omega itself.

And it might have to, if the whole eezo mines hadn't been a batarian scam… the entire thing had fallen through, and the corporation had lost their shirts. Since that time, the station had been:

1) A Hegemony slave-market. The ore processing lines had been repurposed into slave pens, herding the hapless captives together until they could be sold in the large Market added onto the station.

2) A pirate base: Eventually, one of the batarian overseers of the station thought he was far enough away from the Hegemony proper that he no longer needed to take orders from his ha'diq, and began to run a pirate haven/loot fencing operation out of Skyhold. Unfortunately, his calculations were a bit premature, and the local ha'diq had sent a fleet that scattered the pirates and laid waste to the station.

3) An elcor shipyard: the battle-wrecked ruin had been auctioned off to the highest bidder, which turned out to be an elcor shipping company. They had attempted to retrofit a dry-dock onto the station to repair and refit their trading vessels, but the scale was too limited to be of real profit, and the entire project had been abandoned.

4) An Alliance Listening Post: with the relatively recent expansion of the Earth Systems Alliance, the abandoned station had been quickly occupied by the AIS (Alliance Intelligence Services), and transformed into a listening post, where human ears could listen into the transmissions coming from the Terminus to the Hegemony and vice versa. However, with the changing political climate that tended to frown on humans spying (and advancements in technology that allowed a single unmanned probe to do the work of the fully-manned station), AIS FOB1192, as they had redubbed it, had been abandoned by the Alliance in their turn.

Now, the halls were empty and desolate. Blake and her teams had worked around the clock just to restore basic life support to the twelve-year-old systems. It was still cold in the stark hallways of the station, but at least there was breathable oxygen.

Our guests had started to arrive as soon as my teams had gotten basic power online. In typical flamboyant fashion, Aria's Black Fleet had arrived first, commanded by her daughter, Liselle T'Loak.

 **I very much doubt if the Queen of Omega will EVER risk leaving her precious domain again.**

 _Can you blame her? Look what happened the last time she did. Plus, she's still putting the whole station back to rights, after all the chaos of Petrovsky's invasion._

Other warriors and warlords had arrived, with their ships. Most surprisingly, the Bloodtide had come through the local relay, the flagship of Yan T'Ravt, warlord of Xentha. Her fleet was still deployed in various engagements across the Terminus, but her escort ships commanded admiration and respect.

Next to arrive had been Leska Sederis, leading her escort from Eclipse's Golden Fleet. As the chairwoman of Eclipse in her mother's "absence," she and her sister led one of the largest PMCs in the galaxy.

 _Well this might be awkward: Sorry I got your mother arrested…?_

 **One problem at a time, Kevin.**

Xerol Shaaryak had arrived at the head of what remained of the Faithful's warships, bolstered by his niece's fleet, and other exiles who had joined him.

 _Including one mass-murderer and terrorist Ka'hairal Balak._

 ** _Lesser of two evils, Kevin. Lesser of two evils._**

I cast my eyes around the room, evaluating the various players and warlords who had arrived:

Kirwan ul Tirravan, firstborn of the recently-deceased Ashak, batarian Pirate King of the Traverse, sat off to the side, surrounded by his father's advisors and generals. He was doing his best to project his father's air of authority, and was failing miserably. The way his eyes cast over T'Ravt constantly, along with his companions, cast dire projections of the future fate of his father's empire.

 _Father help him, the poor boy's in love._

 ** _Wouldn't be the first time T'Ravt has grown her empire in such a way_. **

Vashon Chaz lounged nearby, chatting with other guests. The salarian had taken advantage of the chaos caused in the Dark Rim by Cessna the Blade's death very admirably, amassing a not-unimpressive fleet of marauders and filibusters. He had mainly found success in appearing above defenseless colonies (with no regards for _who_ they belonged to), and demanding payment from the colonies _not_ to attack them, rather than just trying to loot and pillage everything in sight.

 _There's the STG_ _training working to his advantage_ , I thought.

There were others, of course: Sirena Olm, a female drell, was the leader of another pirate band in the Dark Rim, casting dark glances at her salarian rival. Then there was the recently-promoted Nakmor Chell, looking very uncomfortable out of her armor, but modestly attractive, if the attentions of the three male krogan in the room were any indication. These were ex-Blood Pack commanders, for the most part, led by one Jurdon Vex, who had brought Chell a drink from the hastily-assembled refreshment table.

But who was conspicuously lacking from the room was any representative from the Conclave, barring Blake, myself, and the few generals, commanders, and ex-pirates I had convinced to join me. Most prominent of these was the turian ex-retiree Septimus Oraka. Apparently, Petrovsky had found the turian general on the Citadel and had recruited him into the Conclave after my "death." He was the one who had been selected to lead the assault on the Terminus systems, something he was all too willing to lead against the "pirate scum" of the galaxy. Convincing him that the Reapers outweighed any threat from the Terminus Systems had been a major coup for our cause, and had allowed T'Ravt to free up her forces from Redcliffe, Anderfels, and Kirkwall.

The old turian now stood chatting with the Xenthan General Kaste. There was some kind of history between the two turians, I gathered, but wasn't fully listening to their conversation.

Helena Blake stood in another corner of the room, talking with a few of her former associates from the criminal underworld: representatives from several of the major crime families on Ilium, including a splendidly-dressed Thax Voraks.

Morinth was making her way shamelessly around the room, flirting and making introductions. It did not escape me that she was making an effort to prevent the various factions in the room from retreated into self-contained cliques in their various corners of the room.

Motivated by her example, I turned from the alcove from which I had been watching and made my way down the stairs into the main room. At my appearance, I noticed a hushed gasp that ran across the room, and the low murmurs that followed. Yan T'Ravt excused herself from her conversation with a group of Eclipse sisters, and made her way over towards me.

"Lady Warlord," I bowed slightly as she approached.

"Imperator," she replied graciously.

"No longer, I'm afraid," I smiled mirthlessly. "It would seem that being dead seemed to irreconcilably conflict with the dictates of my office."

The Lady Warlord returned my smile.

"For what it's worth," she said, laying a hand on my arm, "I much preferred the Conclave under _your_ leadership."

"So did I."

Now the Lady chuckled outright, but then collected herself.

"It still speaks much for someone to be able to talk down the infamous general Oraka," she mollified.

"And yet not a single member of the Circle is present," I admitted. "Those who are gathered here are currently condemned mutineers and traitors in Conclave space."

I sighed.

"Seven months," I continued, "Seven months is all that it took to take my dream and turn it into a nightmare."

She nodded gravely.

"Such is often the way of dreams."

I nodded in turn.

"It grows… harder," I confessed, "to restrain… the _other one,_ since I have come back."

Her eyes widened at the reference to Beast, having seen the devastation he could wreak first-hand on Xentha.* Her expression grew grave as she pursed her lips.

"My… offer of a mind-healer? It was made in good faith, and remains so," she stated quietly, closing the distance between us. "We will need you at your _best_ in the fight to come."

"Which me?" I asked, "I know not which one is more valuable at the present time. Clearly, my abilities as the diplomat have… grown complicated, as of late."

T'Ravt grew thoughtful.

"You say the Leviathans rebuilt you?" she asked, artfully guiding the conversation elsewhere, "For what purpose?"

I shook my head.

"The Reapers are _their_ creations, gone rogue countless eons ago, now. They seek their destruction, in order to return to…what they call 'their rightful place in the galaxy.'"

The Lady pursed her lips as she imagined what they probably meant by that. Any culture that _built_ Reapers as a means of control was probably not a benevolent one.

"They rebuilt me because they see me as the best chance for defeating their creations," I continued. "And they will cooperate with the rest of galaxy only so far as they find them useful, I imagine."

"An alliance of convenience," she agreed. "We are no strangers to such an arrangement."

"True," I admitted, "But it still makes it disconcerting to know they stitched you back together from fragments, and they've been poking around in here," I tapped the side of my head, "to their hearts' content."

T'Ravt nodded, but said nothing, and I could see her mind turning with untold plans and contingency plans.

 **She'd be a fool not to, Kevin.**

 _Doesn't make being distrusted any easier._

"My Lord?"

A batarian officer stood a respectful distance away, arms crossed behind him. I turned and nodded acknowledgement.

"We have an incoming transmission, sir. From Starlight Station."

T'Ravt turned to me, a knowing expression on her face.

"It would seem not _everyone_ distrusts you, Ko'le," she said softly.

"Or they want to tell me to fuck off in person," I winced, but then nodded at the officer again.

"Put it through."

I strode forward towards the holo-emitter in the center of the room, the motion attracting the attention of the rest of the gathered warlords and generals. The normal hum of conversation died down as all eyes were turned towards me. Morinth moved to my side, and placed a hand on my arm. I closed my eyes for a moment, collecting my thoughts. Sensing this, Morinth's hand withdrew hastily back to her side.

The projector _hummed_ to life, and the figures of an elcor, a volus, and a Raloi appeared before us.

"Din! Calyn! Ari!"

The three Conclave Circle members nodded politely, as the buzz of conversation flowed around the room in response to their appearance.

" _Seneschal,_ " Ari'ka bowed slightly, careful not to use my usual title, I noticed.

"It is good to see you again, heart-clan," Din Korlack added, "Albeit, I wish it were under more joyous circumstances."

"You received my messages, then?"

"With mixed sorrow and confusion," Calyn answered, "We are at a loss to explain the cowardly attack against Grissom Academy. With solemnity and finality: We can assure you it was done _without_ the knowledge or consent of the Conclave Circle."

"What explanation did Petrovsky offer for an unprovoked attack on the Earth Systems Alliance?" Liselle T'Loak asked.

The three Conclave representatives shared a look of discomfort between them.

"My friends," I reassured, "The Reapers are here. There is no more room for distrust and dishonesty in the galaxy."

"The… Reaper's arrival has thrown most of our communications into chaos," Din answered slowly. "The _Imperator_ has been… out of communication for nearly two weeks now."

"The Circle can call an emergency assembly, and call for a vote of no confidence," I suggested.

"That is a drastic action, _Seneschal_ ," Ari'ka winced, drumming feathers on his chair. "Is it possible that the pirates took action without orders?"

Nakmor Chell stepped forward, anger bristling.

"Representatives," she managed in a coldly official tone, "The two Prothean operatives boarded our vessel and bore signed orders from the Imperator himself."

Calyn exhaled slowly.

"The alternative is war with the Alliance, my friends," I added, "Either this attack was sanctioned, or Petrovsky has committed Conclave troops against an allied power without the permission of the Circle, which is a clear violation of the dictates of his office."

"We need a quorum of at least six to call for such action," Din Korlack reminded us. "And currently, we are the only three Circle members accounted for."

"Where are the others?" I asked, puzzled.

"With grave misgiving: Feros is under siege from Reaper forces. Representative Konstantin was on-planet when the attack took place."

"The New Geth and all three of the Rachni queens were redirected to a top secret location," Ari'ka reported. "They have been out of communication ever since."

Din Korlack rolled his shoulder apprehensively. "Soon after that was done, the Quarian Confederacy notified the Circle of its intentions to reclaim their homeworld of Rannoch."

"WHAT?!"

"And the Imperator gave them leave to do so."

I shook my head, clenching my fist.

"The True Geth were our _allies!_ They trusted us!"

Din Korlack shook his head slowly.

"The Imperator felt that, given their newest offensive in the Terminus, that they would be weakened, and that now was the moment to strike against them."

Ari'ka raised his hands defensively.

"Again, Ko'le, we were informed of these decisions _after_ they were made. No discussion was had; no vote was cast."

"Apprehensively: It is for these reasons that we have contacted you. We are not as blindly trusting as the hanar or the Rachni."

"Wait, what?" I asked. "Where are the hanar? What about Rhysan?"

The three Conclave members shared another look.

"Following the orders Representative Javik," Ari'ka related, "The hanar gave the Prothean Remnant a number of ships, and a full complement of their best scientists and engineers. Then they returned to Kahje, and have not left the planet since. They have activated their planetary shield and defense network: any attempts at communication have gone unanswered."

"Rhysan himself returned to the planet when we informed him of our intentions to contact you," Din added. "He said he would not ' _betray the Enkindlers, or trust an abomination posing as their Herald_.' His words, not ours, Imper …Ko'le."

I resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Thank you for your trust in me, friends," I said finally. "My course of action is clear: I will move to raise the siege of Feros, and to locate enough members of the Conclave Circle for a quorum vote."

Ari'ka nodded.

"I have teams attempting to locate Petrovsky's 'Secret Weapon' which he has declined to disclose to the rest of us," the large avian said. "I will do all within my power to put the resources of the Raloi at your disposal."

Calyn shifted his weight, "With grim determination: as will we all. A number of the Battle Groups in the Fleet are commanded by elcor captains. I have already secured their aid."

"I have already secured the Conclave coffers," Din added. "Petrovsky will effectively be frozen out of his accounts. That should… _limit_ … his effectiveness."

"This could paint a large target on each of your heads," I worried. "In essence, it is dissolving what we _made_ … Father, nearly four years ago now."

"With solemn reassurance: You saved our lives, my friend. You _gave_ your life for this Conclave. With firm resolve: We are willing to risk ours in return in order to preserve it."

"We judge by actions, not by looks, Ko'le," Ari'ka continued. "If you really _were_ the indoctrinated tool of the Reapers, as Javik and Petrovsky claim, the chaos of this war would be something you'd want to foster and continue. Instead, since your… return, all of your actions had been to end this pointless conflict with the Terminus Systems."

A respectful bow and nods were exchanged with the Terminus warlords behind me. I was unsure what kind of reaction I was supposed to have at that speech, but I managed a nod.

"There are those in this room who only a few short months ago," I began, "were bitter enemies."

A look was exchanged with Jurdon Vex, and the rest of the Blood Pack survivors.

"There are enough feuds and grudges in this room to tear this galaxy apart for the next millennia."

Leska Sederis glared at Liselle, who cast an uneasy eye at T'Ravt.

"But now," I straightened, taking a deep breath before continuing, "we must lay those aside. War is upon us, comrades: a war like none of you have ever seen. We must stick together, or we will _be stuck_ separately on the Reapers' Dragon Teeth."

My _homage_ to Ben Franklin earned me fewer chuckles than I was hoping for, but the wry grins that met my words would have to suffice, I supposed.

"We can no longer afford to hold out, alone and independent. But neither do I seek to command or order any of you. We must _coordinate_ our efforts and work to save as many as we possibly can. Then, brothers and sisters," I slammed my fist on the table in front of me. "WE MOVE TO RECLAIM WHAT WE HAVE LOST."

Murmurs of assent and nods of approval went around the room.

"We can no longer afford to think in terms of Council and Hegemony, of Conclave and Terminus. We cannot identify as krogan, turian, human, or asari any longer. We are fellow _beings,_ alive and breathing. Or else we are twisted undead abominations to be wiped from the face of the galaxy. _When_ the last Reaper falls, the lines on the galaxy map will be irrevocably re-drawn, not depending on who is strong and who is weak. It will be depending on who is _alive_ , and who is dead."

"So WHY are we wasting time TALKING about all this shit?"

I didn't have to see the winces on the faces around me or T'Ravt's heavy sigh to recognize that voice. I slowly turned to see a familiar asari matriarch, clad in full armor _(heavy for an asari)_ , making her way down the stairs. Matriarch Aethyta T'Voth was accompanied by a fair number of asari bodyguards, and what looked like an eclectic assembly of freelancers and mercenaries.

"We will do our utmost to stay in contact, Impera…. Ko'le," Ari'ka bowed low, Din and Calyn following suit in their own fashions.

"Stay safe, my friends," I answered, "I will move to rescue the other Circle members. Father and Mother go with you."

The hologram faded, and I turned to face Liara's father.

"Aethyta," T'Ravt greeted, "Athame's greetings to…"

"Oh, stuff it, Yan," the older woman cut her off. "When you get my age, you lose patience with the social niceties. We hate each other, we always will, but we're at war, so there."

She whirled to face Liselle and Leska.

"Anything from you two, or you still content to just hang on your mothers' every word?"

Leska opened her mouth to speak, but Liselle put a hand on her shoulder, and she snapped her mouth shut with an effort, but her biotics made the air crackle with static.

"Smarter than your mother, Sederis," Aethyta observed, "Glad to see you got _some_ of your father's sense."

"what do you _want_ , Aethyta?" I asked, rolling my eyes at her theatrics.

"Palavan has been overrun," the matriarch informed us casually.

Everyone murmured in uneasy suprise. Septimus Oraka stepped forward, concern and worry on his face.

"What of the Primarch Fedorin?" the Hierarchy veteran asked.

"He is dead."

Another uneasy murmur.

"That is confirmed?" I asked, and Aethyta nodded.

"According to the Hierarchy's own intelligence service."

"Who is the successor?" Septimus asked in an even tone, trying to keep the pain from his voice. "Palin? Severus?"

"Unknown," came the answer. "They're still trying to figure all that shit out. I know that Shepard and her Expeditionary Fleet have deployed to Menae, to assist in the fighting there."

 _Ahh. So we're THERE in the games. Reunion with Garrus. Maybe._

 **Wasn't Jane also supposed to be headed for Palavan?**

 _Later... Later._

"What of Thessia?" Leska was now asking. "Sur'Kesh?"

Aethyta shook her head.

"Nothing so far, but that's just cowed the salarians into inaction. Those useless bitches in the Republics are trying to pull every ship they have (and a couple they don't) back to defend Thessia."

"They won't lift a finger to defend anything beyond their borders," T'Ravt scoffed.

"Whatever we decide here," Xerol Shaaryak spoke, stepping forward, "We will have to assume we are on our own."

I nodded in agreement.

"I've brought every ship and freelancer I could find," Aethyta shrugged. "It's no _Destiny Ascension_ , but I figured you could use them."

"Our best course of action is to support…" Liselle T'Loak paused, clearly unsure as to _what_ to call me. I didn't offer anything, as I was unsure myself. I was no longer the _Seneschal_ of the Protheans. Javik's dagger had sent that message clear as day. And I wasn't the _Imperator_ either.

"Ko'le," Liselle continued, when I did not answer. "If he can call the Conclave Circle to declare him _imperator_ again, the fleets and planets that are waiting or distracted by Petrovsky's madness will come over to our side."

Leska nodded in agreement. "Where do you intend on going first?" the chairwoman of the Eclipse asked.

"Feros," I answered. "The other Circle members are unaccounted for or missing. I'm not wasting months of time wandering through the expanse of space looking for wherever he's sent the Rachni or the New Geth. And I'm sure as _hell_ not going to bring a fleet to Ilos or Rannoch and _demand_ they obey me. Feros is where the battle is, and that's where I'm headed."

The other warlords chimed in, offering suggestions as the Galaxy Map came up, each one offering whatever relevant intelligence they had collected, and suggestions for potential offensives. The Reapers had yet to make a serious push into the Terminus Systems, seemingly content to pacify Council Space and the Traverse first.

"They've underestimated us!" Jurdon Vex crowed. "They apparently don't think we're a threat to their invasion plans."

"An insult they will pay dearly for, comrade," I grinned, and received a savage grin in return.

"If the bucket-heads really have launched an attack on the geth, that will free a lot of my forces to reinforce you," Sirena Olm observed calmly. "But I can't afford to redirect many of my forces until that's been confirmed."

The remainder of the local cycle was spent crafting a rough strategy for this massive fleet we had assembled. It was lacking in details, but with a force this fragmented and rough-shod, that just gave our fleet commanders more freedom to react to the situations they encountered.

 _We hope._

While every Tom, Dick, and Harry wanted to lead his own army, the forces were roughly split between T'Ravt, T'Loak, the Eclipse, and myself. Xerol would lead his fleet in reserve, reinforcing whichever one of us encountered the enemy in force numerous enough to be troublesome.

 **Makes sense. His fleet is the most battered, and needs time to regroup and reorganize from a group of political refugees into a serious military force.**

 _He'll do it._

Finally, when sheer exhaustion was beginning to be seen on the faces of those around the table, I made the suggestion to take a recess, which was almost universally accepted. I strode back to the cabin that had been set aside for me, my brain ( _our brain?)_ still going at million miles an hour. The splitting of command was an obvious necessity: Nobody could command this entire force alone. It was a question of separating the warlords who had the worst feuds with one another.

 _Can't leave the wolf with the goat, or the goat with the cabbage, but the river must be crossed._

Kevin's amusement at his reference to the now-ancient logic puzzle was muted by Beast's paranoia.

 **We've had one friend betray us already, Kevin. Those gathered here can scarce be called acquaintances, at least the ones who are not outright rivals.**

 _We have no choice, Beast. We will stand with them, or fall alone._

Before Beast could retort with an appropriate jibe at Kevin's cliché, there came a knock at my door.

"Enter," I said slowly, then realized that automatic doors were not among the luxuries of Skyhold Station. I sighed, and walked over to open the door.

"Morinth."

"Hey," the Ardat-Yakshi said, her usual sultry demeanor gone in favor of grave seriousness. "You have a minute?"

"Sure," I turned, leaving the door open behind me. "Come on in."

I gestured to the crude table and chairs that had been set up beside the bed.

"Thanks for your help today," I said. "I know you being there eased a lot of the tensions in the room."

Morinth smiled.

"You mean having another pair of _tits_ for them to stare at eased tensions today."

"You say _peejack_ , I say _pyjack_ ," I shrugged, but grinned in return. "What can I do for you?"

Morinth drummed her fingers on the table.

"You will need every resource to defeat the Reapers."

I nodded wordlessly.

"The Republics are not lifting a finger to help the rest of us. They're pulling back to Thessia."

I nodded again, then shook my head.

"Yes, we _went over this_ , endlessly," I agreed, furrowing my brow.

"There is one particular resource that will absolutely _not_ be relocated to the home world."

"What are you…?"

A cold chill ran down my spine.

"NO. Absolutely **_not_**."

She leaned forward, her eyes hard and cold.

"I _need_ to do this, Ko'le."

"It's too dangerous."

"Really?"

"It's too risky. It could bring the entire Republics against us if it went wrong. Is this _you planning_ , or is this…" I tapped the side of her head "Them?"

She clenched her fists and blinked once.

"It was… not easy after you were gone. I'm not here to ask _permission_ ," Morinth said pointedly. "I'm informing you of what I'm doing because I fucking _care_ about what you think!"

"I CAN'T LOSE ANY MORE OF MY FRIENDS!"

There was a stunned silence in the room. Morinth stared at me, doubtless because I looked as surprised as she did. My chest seemed to constrict, my breath coming hard and ragged.

"I… _can't_ …. lose..."

No more words would come, and suddenly Morinth was beside me, her hands cool against my flushed cheeks.

 _"Shh… shh_ ," she crooned. "You're not losing anybody, love. I promise. I'm here… I'm here…"

A choked sound escaped me, and the room reeled. Strong arms wrapped around my chest, not so much stopping me as slowing my decent to the floor.

"Ko'le? Ko'le! Listen to me," I heard vaguely, echoing in my brain. "I need you _breathe_ , ok? Breathe in… breathe out…. That's it, just like that…"

Everything seemed to go fuzzy… then grey… then black.

* * *

A loud _THUMP-THUMP-THUMP_ of someone pounding on my door awoke me. I glanced down to see that I had been moved to the simple bed in the corner of the room. My armor had also been removed, laid out in an orderly fashion on the table.

 _Morinth_.

A second's glance told me that I was alone in my room. The pounding on the door resumed, tearing me from any plans I might have had.

"ALRIGHT, Alright!" I yelled, my head pounding in rhythm with the knocking. I groaned as I stood to my feet, then walked over to the door with an odd feeling of _déjà vu._ The turian on the other side of the door flinched at the sight of my grisly visage suddenly appearing, but managed to come to attention.

"Sorry for the intrusion, sir, but General Blake requests your presence in the command hall. Said you'd understand when you got there, sir."

 _Shit. What now?_

"Hang on," I growled, leaning over and grabbing a jacket from the back of the chair. I fell in behind him, pulling the oversized hood over my cyber-dreads. Whoever Helena wanted me to meet, it wouldn't do to freak them out unduly.

The winding hallway opened out into the main room I had left only moments ago. Helena stood in the middle of the room, also in casual pants and a sweatshirt. A long trenchcoat gave her a look of dignity while staving off the low temperatures of the station. With her was a massive krogan, standing with his back to me. He was in very imposing full armor, but it was insanely massive.

 _Enhanced EXO-armor_ , I wagered. _Looks like Conclave issue, but the coloration is all wrong._

Helena raised her eyebrows at me as I entered the room, and the krogan turned to follow her gaze, bringing his face into view for the first time.

"KLAANG!"

Thax Klaang turned his entire body, the massive suit of armor thundering towards me. Black biotics flared instinctively and my mass increased unnaturally just in time to resist the incredible force behind the head-butt sent by the master-smith.

"HAHAHAHA! I KNEW you couldn't be so boring as to be dead, my friend!" Klaang laughed, the sound rumbling like a runaway freight-train in the empty chamber. "ANCESTORS, but it's good to see you!"

"Not half as good as it is to see _YOU_!" I laughed in return.

A thousand questions rushed to my mind, and that, coupled with the massive figure in front of me, blocked my view of the chest-high figure that tackled me in a tackle that would have done the biggest NFL linebacker proud.

"UNKA KO'LE!"

"DROT!"

Sheer, raw and unadulterated joy threatened to overwhelm me as I rolled to try and throw the young krogan off. It was a much harder task than the last time we had "wrassled", as the young pup had grown about a foot taller and had probably put on about fifty pounds. It took a flare of biotics for me to even the scale and lurch sideways, sending Drot rolling across the floor. He rolled back to this feet, crouching to rush me again, but then paused, his eyes fixed on my face.

"Your… your fur-head-thingys…"

I paused, realizing that in the scuffle, my hood had come back, showing the Leviathan enhancements in all their glory.

"Yeah," I said, reaching back to pull the hood back over my head.

"THAT'S TOTALLY WICKED!" Drot broke out in a toothy grin, walking over and reaching a hand up to touch the fiber-optic cables covering my scalp. Klaang lifted a hand to bat the juvenile on the side of the head.

"Hey, now, don't gawk, Drot. It's serious business we've come on."

"What's wrong?" I asked, puzzled. "I mean, I'm overjoyed to see you again, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"General," Helena said, grinning cheekily at my confused expression, "May I present Thax Klaang, newly-appointed Special Krogan Envoy to the Conclave."

Klaang chuckled again at my look of sheer surprise.

"It's nothing so grandiose as that," he objected, "I was already here, that's all. After you…" he paused for a second. "… _went missing_ , a certain someone on Tuchanka contacted me, asking for my help." He took a deep breath. "Clan Thax was scattered across the galaxy after my father's death. _He_ was able to convince me to do something about that."

 _Urdnot Wrex's_ name didn't need to be spoken aloud for me to understand who exactly he was talking about. I nodded slowly.

"And what word from Tuchanka?" I asked.

Klaang's face grew serious, as did Drot's.

"Reapers' dun been sighted in the Lowlands," the younger krogan said gravely. "Gonna be big battles dere soon."

"Show me," I gestured towards the Galaxy map. "Blake, call Yara here, will you?"

Helena cocked an eyebrow. "D'len? She left."

Now it was my turn to be confused. "What? Where? When?"

"About four hours ago," came the answer. "She and that hulk Cheshire took the _Klaustritch_ and hit the relay only about twenty minutes ago. Said she had your orders to do it. Not many wanted to dispute with the giant, either."

OH. SHIT.

 _Morinth... what have you done?_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey everybody! So, we've had a number of reunions this week, and a few partings. And on top of all that, we've got a game plan going forward!**

 **Full thanks and credit goes to Katkiller-V for the use of OCs and skills as a beta-reader! **

**Next week: Stormclouds: A Zhu's Hope.**

 **Love all the thoughts and PMs you guys have been sending! An author's work is fueled by the excitement of his/her readers!**

 **Never let anybody tell you that you are anything but awesome!**

 **Rock on, everybody!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

jackli10345, Guest – Thanks! It's rough, coming back from the dead. Always thought everybody's reaction to Shepard in ME:2 was a _little_ too easy. "Oh, you're not dead? Ok, welcome back!"

XCOMHEAVY12, Nagato21, Pietersielie – Lot of tears at writing that chapter, most of them mine…

Dragons guard, BJ Hanssen – I'll do my best not to disappoint.

METALHELLSPWN – I always hated the kid getting dragged away too. Decided that this is what fanfiction was for, right? :P

THeRedMezek – Mira's reunion is something I'm looking forward to, as well. As for Cheshire… lot of potential trouble there.

griezz – I laughed out loud at your review, and then double checked that nobody had hacked me and taken my notes. Seriously, I had planned to bring Drot back for this chapter LONG before your review. Props to you, good reader!

The Mad Author – I Hurt myself today, to see if I still feel…

Dreaded Wolf – No plans for Andromeda as of yet, will wait to play through it before I say a definite "yes" or "No." Might do a separate story altogether, if anything.

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	10. Stormclouds: A Zhu's Hope

***FEROS *  
** **THESEUS SYSTEMS  
** **ATTICAN BETA**

"My lord?"

I turned to glare at the batarian to my right.

"I am not a _ha'diq_ , Renin," I corrected.

"No, sir," the batarian admitted, "But you are above 'captain,' and by your own insistence, are not _Imperator_ or _Seneschal_."

His head was bent slightly to the left in deference, but there was a small smirk on the batarian captain's face. I exhaled through my nose, and waved a hand impatiently.

"We'll have to return to this discussion at a later time," I relented. "For now, go with _Commander._ "

Renin nodded in acceptance.

"According to long-range sensors," he continued. "We have detected a single Reaper is in low orbit above Feros, coordinating the invasion."

I nodded, "Relay to the other commanders: Engage on my mark _only_."

Captain Renin nodded and turned to the comm station to transmit my orders.

"Gun crews, stand by," I said, forwarding a data readout to each of their consoles. The image was that of a standard Reaper. "Target here, here, and here." Three areas lit up on the holographic image, signifying the most common weak areas on a Reaper Behemoth.

The _Agamemnon_ still acted as my flagship, despite it not being as large as the _Pequod_ or the _Tellez_. _Nakmor's Fury_ and the _Iswanee_ were also still attached to my fleet, as well as a few other ex-pirates and smaller raiders. With a _whoosh_ , the swirling stars streaking by snapped into focus, bringing the sight of the planet in clarity, including the sight of a single dark cuttlefish/squid shape juxtaposed against the other much, much smaller dark specks in a low orbit.

"Sir," Renin turned to me again, the good-natured joshing now gone from his tone. "We are being hailed."

"Source?" I asked.

"The… Reaper, sir."

A shiver traveled involuntarily down my spine.

 **No. Ignore it.**

 _We need to know who we're dealing with._

"Have cyberwarfare crews purge our systems every seven… no, every 5 seconds," I ordered, formulating a plan of action, "For as long as the connection exists."

Renin nodded, then pressed a button to accept the hail.

 **"SENESCHAL."**

The voice was long and drawling, like a humpback whale's song, or a cello's low note, quite distinct from Harbinger's authoritative boom, or Nazara's synthetic mono-syllables. Revulsion filled my thoughts, and to my complete and utter surprise, a tidbit of information, volunteered to my subconscious by the hitherto-absent Ko'le.

 ** _I know that voice…_**

"Mocroi."

 **"BEEN A LONG TIME,"** Ko'le onetime adversary continued, **"AND HERE I WAS AFRAID I WOULDN'T FIND A PROPER CHALLENGE. YOU CAN'T** ** _IMAGINE_** **THE DISAPPOINTMENT THIS CYCLE'S WARRIORS HAVE BEEN SO FAR."**

"One word of advice I will give you, Mocroi," I answered, my voice growing hard and ice-cold. "Run: Run away back to the abyss from which you came. Run, and live."

 **"DO YOU KNOW THE BURDEN OF IMMORTALITY, SENESCHAL?"**

 _Father save us, an existential Space Shrimp._

"Sheer and utter boredom?" I mocked.

 **"BRAVO! YES!"** There was honest surprise in the tone now, missing the derision in my answer completely. " **PERHAPS YOU** ** _DO_** **BEGIN TO GRASP THE MEANING OF IMMORTALITY AFTER ALL. METHINKS THAT AFTER TODAY, ONE OF US WILL RELIEVE THE OTHER OF THEIR BURDEN.**

 **MAY THE BEST…"**

"FUCK YOU, you moronic space-slave!" Ko'le's commanding presence was suddenly in control, cutting off the condescending tones. I'm not sure who was the more surprised, me or the interrupted Reaper.

"You are nothing more than the _failed_ experiment of Masters _far_ superior to yourselves! Die in disappointment and mediocrity!"

A snarl of raw and dark fury sounded before I cut off the transmission.

 **Impressive. You got him angry. That will make him stupid.**

There was no answer as Ko'le withdrew to the dark recesses of the Mind-Palace once again.

 _Thank you, Patriarch. Your words of wisdom echo from beyond your grave._

"Activate the Pleiades."

Renin nodded at my order, the smirk back on his expression, matching the amused grins of everyone else who had heard my exchange with Mocroi.

The seven small ships, each of them named after a daughter of Atlas, were a special construction of the Conclave shipyards at Irune. They were definitely the smallest vessels in my task force, smaller even than the _Ohulu-_ class freighter _Iswanee_.

The left arm of the captain's chair lit up, and a holographic bust of a uniformed turian appeared.

 **"Sir, the Maia is fully charged and the focusing dishes are primed."**

"Very good, Captain Lokir. You may fire when ready."

Lokir nodded, then ended the transmission. The seven ridiculously-small vessels drew ahead of all the rest, almost looking like personal fighter vessels. Each one was only large enough for eight crew and two pilots, reminding me with a pang of longing of my own _Comet._

 _I wonder where she is, or if that ship's survived this stupid Terminus War._

The other six ships drew back behind the _Maia_ , then all of them opened fire, a steady beam of a Thanix cannon coming from each of them. The six beams struck the six giant satellite dish-looking focusing arrays built into the back of the lead ship. There was a moment's pause, then a _massive_ beam fired from the array, striking Mocroi directly between his "eyes" and traveling upward, ripping a massive gash in the body of the ancient construct.

 _Something_ exploded deep in the body of the Reaper, then in a massive flash of light against the blackness of space, the body was ripped into pieces, several of the fragments striking nearby Indoctrinated vessels in much smaller explosions.

A rousing cheer broke out from the crew on the bridge, and, I did not doubt, from every member of the fleet. The war was in its early stages, so perhaps this was the first time any of them had ever seen a Reaper _die._

 ** _You should have taken my advice, Mocroi_** _._

 **Damn you to whatever eternity awaits you.**

 _And rest to whatever trillions of souls that went into your creation, Mother-only-knows how long ago. Take them unto your arms, Father, delayed and denied for so long. Let their suffering be at an end, finding comfort in the rest of your embrace._

"Excellent shot, Captain," I congratulated sincerely. " _Knighthammer_ , move to cover the _Pleiades'_ withdrawal. Nom, Chell, engage those troop transports. Everyone else, Formation Seven, close pattern volleys."

"Would you like us to support your battle group, sir, or Captain Rota?" Lokir asked eagerly.

"Neither, captain," I answered calmly. "As soon as the _Iswanee_ and _Fury_ clear a path, I need the _Pleiades_ to assume a position in low orbit. Scan the battle below. While Mocroi may have been the only Behemoth, there might be Crawlers or Harvesters below. Target as many of them as you can, then stand by to cover our landing approach."

The turian brought his fist to his chest in a Conclave salute.

"It will be done, sir."

Even as the remains of Mocroi drifted towards the planet's atmosphere, drawn by Feros' gravitational field, more ships began to move towards us, Reaper-converted turian or Hegemony vessels, from the look of it. It wasn't the overwhelming numbers the Reapers usually employed, but enough to give us pause.

"Follow my lead," I relayed to the fleet. "And… HARD TO PORT!"

The _Agamemnon_ banked left, taking the lead in a long train of ships that now played "Follow the Leader." As the starboard batteries fired, the _Agamemnon_ banked down and to the right, bringing her port batteries to bear against the enemy. Dipping low allowed the ships behind to continue firing, without a friendly ship entering their line of fire. This particular formation essentially built a wall of ships in space, allowing for three-dimensional orbital combat. What set great captains apart from good ones was the ability to plan battles outside of just head-on fights, like the ocean-going ships of old. If any of the enemy ships tried to turn to follow the _Agamemnon_ , they would expose themselves to the ships above. Likewise, if they _didn't_ , my ship's cannons could rip them apart from below.

The enemy also made the mistake of targeting the largest vessels first. While shot after shot had impacted uselessly against the _Pequod_ 's and the _Tellez_ 's shields, the rest of us had targeted their _smallest_ ships first, then moved up from there. Without escorts, capital ships and frigates were bulky things in space, easy to be brought down by the faster corvettes darting in on torpedo runs.

The fact that a half-dozen of the ships abruptly wheeled and began running for the cover of the distant asteroid field showed that at least _some_ of the enemy captains were still not so indoctrinated as to be fanatically suicidal. The rest of them, however, seemed eager and willing to die for their new masters.

We obliged them.

A cheer broke out from the crew of the _Agamemnon_ as the last of the remaining ships lurched sideways, disabled. The hull had been breached, in several places. Whatever crew had survived the almighty pounding they had received had been vented out into the cold vacuum of space. There was no point in sending boarding crews. This was a job for salvage ships, which had already been sent for from Skyhold Station. The derelict station had turned into the capital of our little alliance, already called "The Association" by many, in order to distinguish it from the Earth-centered human government.

There had been nothing so formal as a declaration that had followed the Conclave's founding four years ago, so much as nobody had offered an alternative, or said that we _weren't_ the  
Association.

"Alright, alright!" I called out, over the cheering. "This battle's not over! Captain Renin, move us down into an entry pattern. Gun crews, pick your targets, and recalibrate your weapons for atmospheric use. Marines, get your shuttles!"

"MOVE, you _chenethic_ useless bastards!" Renin bellowed, sending the already-scrambling crew into frenzied motion. " _PILLARS_ damn you all to the sands, back to your stations!"

In the half-hour or so that our space engagement had taken, the _Nakmor's Fury_ and the _Iswanee_ had moved in against the slower, bulkier freighters that had been converted to Reaper troop transports, to devastating effect. Hundreds of Reaper troops were now burning as they fell from low orbit back through Feros' exosphere.

The _Pleiades_ Group had only managed to fire, recharge, and was preparing to fire only its third shot of the battle as we moved towards an entry pattern. That was its one weakness: splitting the turbolasers among the seven vessels allowed for faster movement, but it time to recharge between shots.

"Any luck?" I asked the _Agamemnon_ 's communications officer. The young man shook his head.

"No, sir. No signals coming from the colony."

I pursed my lips and blinked slowly.

"How do you want to do this, sir?" Renin asked me, his stance respectful, while keeping his tone neutral.

"Well, Captain," I said simply, "I intend on heading to the location where the largest number of people are shooting at each other. Then I and the marines will disembark, and kill every indoctrinated bastard that shows itself. The fleet will stay on the lookout for Reaper reinforcements and provide support cover for our ground forces. We will light up any targets for your orbital fire."

Renin nodded approvingly.

"Very good sir. Beauty in simplicity."

Zhu's Hope looked surprisingly like it did the first time I had arrived with Shepard and the _Normandy_. Figures darted from a clearly-improvised trench and firing platform, laying down a field of fire for the hordes of Cannibals and Marauders to cross. That was the bulk of the enemy that I could see from here, but…

"Put us down, there!" I called out, double-checking my Battle Rifle, the veteran fighters around me doing the same. The shuttle touched down on the right flank of the colonists' firing line, Conclave Marines moving forward with an eclectic mix of Terminus mercenaries, and a good smattering of my Omega cultists.

Muerta'Harel moved left, her pistol up and firing over the Omni-Shield deployed on her robotic arm. Zynt's sniper rifle _boomed_ twice to cover her, and two husks slumped over, identical holes bored in their skulls. On the other shuttle, I saw Nakmor Chell leap while still fifty feet up, scattering foes in an impressive biotic smash.

 _Krogan Airdrop._

"FUCK. THEM. UP!" the female roared, her crew pouring out to support their captain.

 _Catchy battle cry._

At my motioning, we moved westward, I instinctively sending a shockwave ahead to clear a path, only to be slightly unnerved _myself_ at the massive black wall sending Reapers tossing.

 _This feels… it feels so…._

 **RIGHT! KILLING ABOMINATIONS, SLAUGHTERING THE REAPERS! FOR THIS REASON, I WAS MADE!**

It took nearly all of my focus to prevent Beast from just charging ahead, killing _everything_. There was much more at stake here than just killing things. I moved over a pile of rubble, trying to make my way to four black-armored colonists.

"WHERE is your COMMANDER?" I asked, yelling to make myself heard above the explosions and gunfire. One of them simply turned around and brought both hands on either side of my quarian helmet. Even beneath the polarized helmet lens, I could see two eyes glowing faintly.

 _Whoa._

I heard them.

I heard ALL of them.

Thousands of colonists, moving across several dozen square miles. Each of them relaying information via the Vine-Speak, instantly and effortlessly:

 _Troop numbers._

 _Enemy strength and position._

 _Falling back in Bravo Sector._

 _Need more snipers in the Tower._

 _Get the wounded back to the Cistern._

" _Seneschal?"_ a deep voice rumbled, surprise and incredulity evident, even on the mental plane.

" _Hello, Protector,"_ I managed, trying to remember how to zone out all the extemporaneous noise. Without Ko'le's experienced help, it was difficult.

 _"It is a drink from the Deep Wells to hear your voice again, my friend,"_ the ancient Thorian said, joy radiating in every syllable. " _We had almost despaired of succor or aid."_

 _"Ko'le!"_ came another voice. " _You're alive!"_

 _Reyna._

 _"Barely,"_ I answered back, sharing in the joy of reunion. _"I…misplaced my good looks, and gained a few extra bits, but it's still me."_

 _"Good to have you back, sir."_

A young man's voice this time, the clear sub-harmonics fluttering under the initial tones of his words.

 _"Kolyat! You're here too?"_

 _"Affirmative, sir,"_ answered the son of Thane Krios. _"I was accompanying Representative Konstantin and Rey…and her daughter here when the attack came."_

 _"Are all the colonists here connected in the Vine-Speak?"_

 _"It was necessary,"_ Protector's deep bass voice rumbled. " _The Old Adversaries blocked our traditional communication methods, throwing us into chaos in the beginning. Fai Dan and Shiala came to me to request my aid. This time, the Joining was voluntary for all, and much more… harmonious."_

 _"Fascinating… but I'm afraid our reunion and questions will have to wait. Where do you need my troops?"_

Within seconds, I was caught up to speed on the battle and its movements, who was spread thin, who could hold, and who was being overrun. It was a strange sensation to disconnect and use the relatively clumsy form of speech to communicate with the rest of my incoming troops, redirecting troop transports and shuttle-drops. The _Iswanee_ touched down at the Command Center, its cargo of medical supplies and weapons being unloaded by quick and efficient hands.

"There!"

Muerta pointed at a giant winged creature that looked like it had just crawled from the realm of nightmare. The giant beast touched down and its belly disgorged lurching husks and Scions on the colonists' right flank.

 _Harvesters._

"Bring them down! Bring it down!"

A giant ball rolled past me, the elcor gunner coming to all fours as he straightened from his rolling charge. A pair of mini-guns unfolded from its back, opening fire on the unholy dragon from hell. The creature threw a metal-encrusted wing between its face and the elcor gun, sparks flying as pieces began to be shredded off the limb. A red line appeared from the mini-guns, training on the stumbling Harvester.

"Kapena?"

"Impatiently: Firing."

The red laser forwarded targeting coordinates for Kapena's back-mounted cannon, as well as the weapons of three other elcor gunners in the vicinity. In the same instant, all four of their shots slammed into the creature from four separate angles, giving the creature no time to adjust barriers or modulate shields. A wing and a leg sheared off entirely, causing the creature to flail wildly as it lost balance and tumbled off the edge of the high-rise walkway, down the many thousand feet to the ground below.

A colonist, looking like a young girl no older than _maybe_ twelve years old, ran over and reached up a hand, her oversized helmet rattling as she did so. I took the hand, her eyes and mine flaring white for a moment.

 _"Reinforcements inbound to your location, Seneschal_ ," Shiala Konstantin's clear baritone voice sounded via the Vine Speak. " _They will clear the path ahead."_

I looked over my shoulder to see a number of grey, skeletal figures coming at a dead sprint towards us. Lifting my hand, I signaled my troops to lower their weapons, using biotics to forcibly lower some of their rifles around me. In contrast the husks just opposite, these figures' movements were lithe and effortless.

 _Thorian Creepers_.

The zombie-like Thorian extensions took the husks at a dead run, tangling with their Reaper counterparts with guttural roars and screeching howls. All fire from our side ceased, most of us unable to do anything but stare at the odd face-off occurring just in front of our eyes.

"Sir?" Nakmor Chell asked, pulling one of her javelins from the skull of a Brute, "You're seeing this too, right?"

"See it," I confirmed, "Don't know if I'm quite believing it, just the now."

The husks' electrical discharges would have torn down any shields they would have encountered, but these gray-green Creepers had no such protection, instead engaging them with their acidic projectile vomit, the green bile burning through the husks' skin and cybernetic implants. It quickly turned into a bizarre slugfest, each unit trying to simply tear the other apart by brute strength alone.

"Forward!" I commanded, vaulting over the rubble, blasting the nearest husk down to the ground with the Battle Rifle, leaving it to the Creepers to finish off. Muerta launched a throw field, following my example. Chell replaced her javelin in the thigh quiver she had apparently built for just that purpose, and pulled out a shotgun, clearing a path at the head of her troops.

 **"Cover! Cover!"** came a panicked call over the radio. A Reaper Destroyer loomed ahead. At only a hundred-and-twenty feet tall, the Destroyer wasn't nearly overwhelming as a Behemoth, but it was still a twelve-story gun-platform on legs. The Destroyer ahead opened its focusing array, the all-too familiar high-pitched whine foretelling what was about to come.

 _Fuck_.

"GET DOWN!"

With a deafening _WHUMMMMMM_ , the massive red laser fired out, scattering the Thorian Creepers that had continued their charge forward, even as the rest of us threw ourselves behind the largest pieces of rubble we could find.

The slightly acrid scent of charred air brought back a host of memories from Beast's battle-scarred mind.

"Gun captains, laze target!" I called out over the speakers. "Light that bastard up!"

Several red beams of light began to shine towards the massive Reaper. Smaller explosions from elcor-mounted cannons rebounded off the giant purple-black body. There was an impossibly-deep _WHIR WHIR WHIR WHIR_ of the Reaper's weapon reloading, but also very akin to an automated laughter.

 _Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, dumbass._

Suddenly, the noise ceased mid-chuckle, and the massive creature looked up at the sky, and looked for all the world like it was _cringing_ , trying to gauge a leap to the side or backward, anything to escape the certain death that descended upon it.

In that moment of indecision, a massive beam fired from the _Pleiades_ struck it right in the 'eye', burning a hole straight through the space squid, striking the ground underneath and scattering the Reaper horde that had been trying to rally behind the destroyer. With a groaning shriek of twisted metal, the destroyer toppled, raising a dust cloud that obscured all vision. All weapons raised, ready to track any shape that might show itself through the obscuring whirlwind. But when the dust cleared, there was nothing but the bodies of the fallen. As the great red light in the destroyer's eye faded, the air seemed to clear, as if a ringing in the back of your head suddenly ceased.

"They are falling back, General," came the word from one of the snipers, their vision now cleared as well, "Back towards the canyon."

"Break off pursuit!" I ordered. "We could lose an army in that maze of rocks. Lieutenant Korban, do you read?"

 **"We read you, sir,"** came the volus pilot at the head of the flight-wing of fighter/bombers. **"The battle up here is more than over. Just grunt slug-work left."**

"Well done," I congratulated. "I need bombing runs on the retreating enemy forces. Bury them in those canyons, lieutenant."

 **"With pleasure, sir."**

A _whoosh_ sounded as the bombers came overhead, after the retreating husks, now more than likely feral with Mocroi no longer here to direct the invasion.

 _Feral, but nonetheless dangerous._

Several soldiers around us were taking off their helmets, or throwing themselves down and panting for breath. Muerta simply sat and began to go through her routine of taking her pistol apart and putting it back together again, loyal Zynt in tow. I turned and made my way towards the colony troops.

"How are all of your people?" I asked aloud. All four soldiers reached up and removed their own helmets, turning to face me. All four of them were green asari. Two bore Shiala's face, the other two strangers to me.

"We greet you, Seneschal," they all said in perfect unison. The other colonists began to remove their helmets. All of them, human, drell, salarian, turian and asari… they were ALL a bright and vibrant green.

 _Ahh._

"Thorian copies? Seed-born?" I asked, struggling to remember the Thorian term for creating a carbon copy of a Joined.

"We are… extensions of the colony's will," came the answer, magnified by fifty voices all around us. "Born of Protector-of-the-Weak."

Many of the Conclave troopers had leapt to their feet at the somewhat unnerving revelation that the green-skinned colonists had been.

 _Ahh._

 **You should stop saying that. It makes you sound like an idiot.**

Leaving Nakmor Chell to set up a fire-line to guard against the possibility of the Reapers coming back, I summoned a shuttle to my location, and set out towards the designated Emergency Command Center. I expected to feel… _something_ : elation at victory, sadness at the destruction all around me, or perhaps even confusion at the revelations I had just witnessed.

Instead there was just a dull numbness as I dismounted from the shuttle. Nom Rota and the volus EXO-Atlas troops had now laid aside their rifles and were using their suits to unload large crates of supplies and weapons.

"Sir?"

I turned at a touch to my elbow to see a young human girl, probably eighteen or nineteen, if my guess was correct. She was in a suit of light armor, but that face…

"Aara al Kader," I said, smiling when I contrasted her with the somewhat-gangly fourteen-year-old who had guided us from the _Normandy_ on our first visit to Zhu's Hope colony.

The stunned look of surprise, followed by the beaming smile confirmed my thought. "Yes sir! Though, it's 2nd Lieutenant Kader, now. Um… Fai Dan and Protector asked me to lead you to the Joining Chamber. Though… I think you'd've known the way."

I smiled, and raised a hand to gesture forward.

"Lead on, LT."

The girl ( _young woman_ , I corrected myself) led on to a building that was atop where the _Borealis_ had been parked on my last visit. Inside there was only a flat open square, with a set of stairs leading down.

 _So that's where we're headed_.

The stairs back down to the Thorian chamber had been cleaned up considerably. Now the stone steps had been polished to a bright sheen, and flowers bloomed in the alcoves.

 _Right above the colonists_.

In each of alcoves, a colonist reclined peacefully, vines enveloping their arms and torsos, entwining around their foreheads like daisy-chain crowns. I recognized some of them: there was the turian, a salarian ( _wasn't he the merchant from the first game?_ wondered Kevin), and a few other asari. Then we passed Macha Doyle, and May O'Connell. Then there was David Al Talaqani. As we neared the bottom, I saw Arcelia Silva Martinez, the one-time ExoGeni security guard, with her hands folded across her chest, bright orchids blooming around her. Then there were only two alcoves left: one held Fai Dan, Conclave governor of Feros. The other held Shiala Konstantin, Representative of the Traverse Republics to the Conclave Circle.

And Aara made a deep obeisance to the towering Thorian Vine where it hung in its place of honor. Then she turned, nodding once at me as she made her way back up the stairs. Protector of the Weak heaved, and then a humanoid figure emerged from the mouth of the Thorian: an exact copy of Fai Dan.

"Hello, Imperator. 'm sorry I cannot speak to you with my _own body_ ," the vine-clone said in a grave tone, gesturing to the governor's alcove. "But if were to sever my connection to the Vine now…"

"… all of your Thorian clones would die," I nodded understandingly. "I congratulate you and your people on your willingness to undergo such an ordeal."

"It made sense at the time," Fai Dan answered. "My clones usually adopt a command or administrative role. Aurelius was an engineer in the Hierarchy before he came here, so it was only logical to include him. Macha is a skilled engineer, as is Ledra."

"Makes sense," I agreed. "Gets around the whole 'I can't be everywhere at once' problem."

"Just so, Imperator," Fai Dan chuckled.

"I am not Imperator any longer, Governor Fai," I corrected. Protector of the Weak heaved again, and a Shiala clone emerged.

"You _are_ Imperator to us, Ko'le," she said, "Petrovsky and the Eighth Battle Group _was_ here, 'to defend the colony' he said. He took the Star-Flowers that we had cultivated, and Javik and his Protheans took every scrap of data they could scrounge from the ancient data-banks and archives."

"Then they _left_."

The three of us turned to see Reyna descending the stairs, with Kolyat at her side. But Reyna's asari-like crests had grown long, arching up from her head in a distinctly tree-like appearance. Her dress also was completely organic: layers of bark one on top of the other, sprouting a trail of flowering vines that followed her like the train of an elegant ball gown. Leaves also sprouted from her fingers, overall styling her very much more like a Vine-Daughter of the Thorian court from the days of Charn, rather than a Thorian copy of an asari. She quickly strode across the room and threw her arms around my neck before I could do or say anything. Kolyat folded his arms behind him and gave me a deep nod in a display of stoicism very much like his father, but the corners of his mouth quirked up in a wry smile.

"It is so _good to see_ you all," I said, wrapping my arms around Reyna somewhat awkwardly, given my new hands' size.

Shaila smiled as Reyna continued the fierce hug. "It is good to see you too, Ko'le. This makes the _second_ time you have saved this colony."

Fai Dan nodded, "A few more hours, and we might have been overrun. We didn't have any cannons left operational that could make a dent in that Reaper."

I sighed deeply, then turned to the others. "I'm sure you all have questions…"

Reyna shook her head. "Not really: Dad filled us in on what he had gleaned from you during your time in the Vine-Speak. Put together by Leviathans, who you really don't trust, but you're fairly sure you're still… you, right?"

I blinked once.

"Right."

"And you came back for us," she continued, "And Petrovsky and Javik _abandoned us_ , leaving us practically defenseless for when the Reapers did arrive."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "They just _left?"_

Kolyat moved his hands to cross them across his chest. "No warning, no justification, nothing. One minute they were there, and the next they were going for hard burn for the Relay.

Suddenly Fai Dan's eyes turned a bright green, and Protector spoke in the soft bass voice:

"Before he left, Avatar Javik spoke to me, joining me on the Vine-Speak. He sought knowledge of 'the End': a weapon of terrible power to end the Cycles and destroy the Reapers forever."

 **Like the Inusannon Hammer and Anvil?**

 _Javik isn't the suicidal type, though._

 **He wasn't the back-stabbing type either, was he?**

"Show me," I said slowly, raising a hand. Fai Dan walked over and joined mine, palm to palm. My own eyes flared white, and then there was a rush of images:

 _Javik kneeling in this very chamber: his hand against the Vine, his eyes white._

 _Javik conversing with Petrovsky at the Conduit of Ilos, with Vigil standing just off to the side._

 _Javik and Kai Leng exiting the Mars Archives, passing a datapad between them. And on the screen was…_

 **NO.**

 _Father and Mother, NO._

 ** _Javik… what have you done?_**

With a sudden snarl of fury and anger, the connection was severed. I whirled and snapped an order to my one-time drell aide:

"KOLYAT!"

The drell shot to attention, ready for anything.

"Get word the _Agamemnon_. And the _Iswanee_ , and the _Fury_. We will be preparing to leave at once."

I turned back to Fai Dan, the eyes of his Vine-clone normal again.

"The remainder of the fleet will remain here, to coordinate the defense of the colony and to bear Representative Konstantin to Skyhold. DAMN me, DAMN me for a bloody fool for not seeing it sooner! FATHER and MOTHER bear witness…"

Shiala and Reyna both stepped forward, each of them grabbing an arm.

"What is it, Ko'le?"

"What did you see?"

I had to take a second to get my breathing under control.

"The Citadel will soon be under attack. If it isn't already."

I continued, despite their incredulous faces.

"That is Javik's plan, and Petrovsky's madness. They need it for the Crucible, which is the doom of us all. "

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **We have one Circle member rescued, two to go…**

 **Next week:** **Stormclouds: Temple Run**

 **And afterwards:**

 **Stormclouds: Meetings and Partings**

 **As a special thank you to all my reviewers: If we can get this chapter fifteen reviews, I'll go ahead and post the next chapter early! ;)**

 **You guys ROCK! Never let anybody tell you otherwise, especially yourselves!**

 **Thanks everybody! Leave me a review letting me know what you think! Even if it's just as simple as "Good job, I liked it," hearing from you guys always brightens my day!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Squadpunk 2.0 – Maybe it would…

DaToskin, maesde – The Normandy reunion will be a tough moment, that's for sure. Can Shepard trust Ko'le? Can Ko'le trust himself?

griezz, BJ Hanssen, METALHELLSPWN– So we've got at least a few answers this chapter! I really loved bringing Drot back, along with Klaang. *hats off for Zaeed. Morinth has been a lot of fun to flesh out. IMO, she's the most under-used character in the ME series. Canon-Morinth is a really… _boring_ character. Yeah, she's _oh-so-spooky_ space vampire, but what does that _mean?_ How does that affect her? Wanted to answer some of those questions in this fic.

And yeah, I think Ko'le/Kevin/Beast put 'Fighting the Normandy' as absolute 'Worst-Case-Scenario.'

maesde – Right now, I have no plans to include Andromeda.

Toothless is best – I agree.

jackli10345, Pietersielie – ME3 is overall a darker story than the other two chapters, and I don't want to get lost in the depressing depths, but that kinda is the struggle, isn't it?

Deathknight999 – Probably more than 25 *wink* Melding with Ardat-Yakshi is still bad idea though, if you wanna live.

* * *

 _May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always._

 _EE-RAH!_


	11. Stormclouds: Temple Run

***LESUSS*  
MESANA SYSTEM  
** **NIMBUS CLUSTER**

Matriarch Gallae, Mother Superior of the Nightsister Monastery, handed back a datapad to Superintendent Jethra.

"More Justicars informing me that their Code dictates their return to Thessia to defend the Temple," she signed, more annoyed than actually put out. "Apparently, the _ever-enlightened_ Matriarchs on the homeworld confuse our remote location with actual defensibility. _Again_."

Jethra perused the document, then laid it down on the desk with a tired sigh.

"I cannot say that I am surprised, but I can and _will_ say that it's goddess-damned inconvenient," the younger woman said. "Even with the reinforcements that arrived today, that gives me fewer than forty guards to watch over and supervise _one-hundred and twenty-seven_ acolytes. And it's true, almost half those are fully-trained Nightsisters, but still…"

"The Night-sisters _will_ defend their home," Gallae consoled, her voice almost adopting a consoling tone.

"They will if they don't want their brains to explode," Jethra scoffed.

Gallae raised an eyebrow at the younger asari's blunter practicality, but did not contradict her. "The implants do have a certain _simplistic_ level of persuasion," she admitted. "However: do not allow any of the sisters to have access to the armory, unless we encounter an _actual_ emergency."

The supervisor nodded, then suddenly perked up in remembrance.

"Speaking of which, that new girl: the one Justicar Phora brought?"

"Eryn?" Gallae asked.

"Yes, her," Jethra nodded, "She's in the medical ward. Apparently the medico says she had an allergic reaction to the implant. I've fitted her with an external collar, temporarily."

Gallae clicked her teeth as she inhaled her breath sharply.

"Hmmm… understandable, but still… crude," she mused thoughtfully. "See what we can do for an alternative."

The beauty in the implants were that they were unseen, and given enough years of service, a Nightsister could _almost_ forget that she had an explosive charge directly attached to her spine. The collar would give the girl an external focus for her anger at being torn away from her family, and her fear at being brought to a strange new place.

"Also," she added softly, "Qorrin requested to be Yanis' escort _again_ this month."

Jethra bristled. "She went _directly_ to you?" she asked, angry that one of her guards would attempt to bypass the chain of command.

Gallae smiled, "Apparently she felt that you would not be receptive to her request."

"Too goddess-damned right I wouldn't," snapped Jethra. "Yanis is young, fanciful, romantic…"

"And _very_ beautiful," Galle added.

"And just innocent enough to be the most _dangerous_ kind of _Ardat Yakshi_ ," the superintendent continued, the lilt of the last word betraying her Illium origins, as opposed to the Thessian accent of the Mother Superior. "Qorrin has been with her for two rotations, the second only because I thought familiarity would curb Yanis' more… wild tendencies. To request a _third_ …"

"Yes, yes," Gallae cut off the horrified rant, "Qorrin might better serve the Goddess by being reassigned to the homeworld."

Jethra nodded slowly. They could not afford to run the risk that one of the guards might be developing an infatuation, intentional or otherwise, with one of the Ardat Yakshi acolytes.

"Another matter which requires our attention might be…," began Gallae, but then suddenly stopped.

"I heard it too," Jethra said in a low tone. There was a second's silence in the room, and the noise came again: dull _thumping_ sounds that to the untrained ear might have sounded like hammers or distant drums. But to the revered matriarch and the veteran warrior, they were the unmistakable sounds of gunfire. The younger woman moved to the console, bringing up the security feeds. The screens were empty, blank fields of static. She reached over and pressed the alarm button located on the Mother Superior's desk, but no blaring siren sounded in response.

"We've been hacked," Jethra informed her superior. "I'm locked out of the system."

"Impossible," Gallae stated, even though the proof of the thing was right in front of her. "What do you think, some sort of half-handed escape attempt?"

" **NO."**

The grating, harsh voice sounded like metal twisting and shearing to form words, causing both women to wince, even as they whirled towards its source. Directly on the other side of the room, a figure suddenly de-cloaked. It was towering just over seven feet tall. _Synthetic,_ Gallae judged. _But how had an assassin droid made its way past all the guards?_

 _"Impossible,"_ the Mother Superior stated aloud, just as uselessly.

Jethra, on the other hand, moved purely on instinct, biotics flaring as she sprang for the seven-foot tall intruder. The impressive charge carried her across the room in seconds, straight…. Through him?

There was a half-second's bewilderment on the huntress' face before the mine exploded. Throwing up a barrier of her own, Gallae could see what she thought was a leg go in one direction, and had a half glimpse of a hand going another. Then as the sounds of the explosion faded, she was acutely aware of a high pitches screaming coming from the wrecked upper torso that was now located on the east wall. The decoy image was still flickering where Jethra had gone straight through it.

Then there was a faint metallic _pong_ just behind her. Gallae channeled her biotics, throwing up another barrier behind her even as she whirled around, ready to resist whatever grenade or assassin or…

…a small statue of Athame was on the floor. It wasn't hers, so someone had brought it from elsewhere in the monastery. Gallae only had a second or so to be confused before _something_ struck her from behind with the force of a charging krogan. She went sailing through the air, hitting the wall and causing the world to swirl around her. Then there was a cold vice-grip on her throat, and she was lifted high into the air. Then came the horrible grating metal-on-metal voice:

 **"WE… SEE… YOU."**

Her attacker, a seven-foot tall droid, seemed to shift and change before her very eyes, his chest cavity opening to reveal a large black orb that seemed to hum and throb in the darkest recesses of her mind. The mad panic in her mind eased, and suddenly she was filled with a deep… calm and peace that made no sense, given the fact she was actively being strangled.

 **"WE… SEE… YOU** ," came the words again, and this time Gallae was not even aware that they came from her own mouth.

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER***

Thirty-five bodies were lined up along the outer wall of the monastery's main chapel. Several armored figures stood over them, with more on the walls above. These were in odd angular armor, looking for all the world like two-legged _Mook_ beetles. Their rifles were also nothing any of the sisters had ever seen before, with none of the traditionally-recognized sections of a rifle. They seemed to be integrated _into_ their vambraces, with no stock or even anything that could be called a barrel. But they had all been witness to the fact that they certainly _worked_ , the strangers de-cloaking active camouflage, taking out half the guards before they had even realized they were there. Had they been alone, some of the Nightsisters might have been inclined to help their jailors, but the sight of more armored asari amongst them had given them pause.

The hundred and twenty-seven Nightsister acolytes of the Lesuss Monastery were gathered in the courtyard, eyeing their new guards suspiciously. Several of them passed cutlery taken from the kitchens back and forth, just in case. The current plan that was being whispered in hushed tones or field sign language was for some of the older veterans to throw up barriers, with another wave rushing the nearest enemies and taking their weapons. The most powerful biotics were going to try to break through to the armory. That part of the plan was risky, but without guns and armor of their own, any battle was going to be terribly one-sided.

"SISTERS!"

A booming voice brought a quick pause to the impromptu planning. Everyone stopped and looked up at the armored figure that had leapt from the ground to the top of the garden wall. Her in-helmet speakers had amplified her voice loud enough to draw everyone's attention, but now the figure reached a hand up and, with a _hiss_ of the seals releasing, removed her helmet. The face was battle-worn, strikingly beautiful, but with a cold, hard edge.

"Mirala!?"

The incredulous question from one of the younger acolytes turned the inquisitive murmur in the room to surprise and admiration. Mirala, called Morinth: the only Ardat Yakshi to have ever escaped the Monastery and lived to tell of it. She looked down and nodded slightly at the speaker, who gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. Another one, similar-looking enough to be a relative, came close and put a hand her shoulder. Morinth shared a nod with her as well, then turned back to address the assembled crowd.

"My sisters," she said again, "Too long we have been the dagger beneath the cloak of those cowards who would use us."

A running growl made its way through the crowd.

"Those who would _imprison us_. OSTRACIZE us! KEEP US from being who we truly are: the genetic Destiny of the Asari. NO MORE! No more will be the tools of those infinitely our lesser. There is a war coming, sisters: a war by those who would wipe out our families and our very way of life. Those useless hags on Thessia have decided, in their infinite wisdom…"

A mirthless chuckle escaped many around the room.

"…Have decided that you are not _worthy_ of defending. You are not even worthy of _protecting_. With all the guards, and all the security, _I_ infiltrated this place with twenty-five agents and a synthetic. What would you have done if the enemy had come in earnest?"

Many in the room were now nodding. They were trained assassins and infiltrators themselves: this was language they could understand. Morinth's voice was crisp and sharp, as impassioned as the expression on her face as she raised a hand and flared her biotics in a display that impressed even the older among the crowd:

"Join me, and make a difference in this war: Not as cannon fodder, to be used and expended at a whim! Nor as _zooch_ , waiting your turn to be slaughtered! Join me, and we will wield an invincible army, to carve our names in the face of destiny!"

"Easy for you to say!"

A young girl pushed her way forward, gesturing to the small scar at the base of her neck.

" _You_ don't have an implant! They will _kill_ us if we leave!"

A hum of anger reverberated, but Morinth held up a hand to silence it: the girl had spoken truly. She smiled, and her grin was a chilling and terrifying thing to behold.

"Cheshire?"

A large shadow moved from the back of the courtyard, dragging a burden behind. Shocked gasps came from the younger acolytes, and cold, calculating glance from the older veterans. The seven-foot-tall synthetic lifted a hand, and the figure of Matriarch Gallae came through the air, landing at the base of the wall at Morinth's feet. The Ardat-Yakshi floated gently down, setting down beside the jerking, gibbering figure that flopped and contorted on the ground. She bent down, and then planted both hands on Matriarch's head. Then her eyes went black as night, and her voice turned dark and terrible.

"GIVE ME YOUR MIND!"

There was a startled gasp from most in the room. For many of those gathered, this was the first time they had ever seen what exactly they had been warned against since birth. Despite the wild rumors, the average Ardat-Yakshi acolyte could go their whole _lives_ without melding with another soul. Since their first arrival, they had all undergone careful training to curb their natural asari instincts, as well as ways to cope with the mental isolation that no other asari ever had to suffer. The sight of blood pouring from the eyes, ears, and nose of the Matriarch, the figure of fear and terror that even the eldest of them could never remember _not_ being afraid of, was a sight not soon forgot.

Morinth released the Matriarch, and Gallae's mumbling rambles ceased in a gurgle of blood and bile as the body fell back on the cobblestones, limp and unmoving. Morinth straightened and then turned and took a datapad from Cheshire. She typed in a single code, then pressed a button.

In that moment, everyone gathered felt a burning pain, just beneath the small white scars they all bore. More than a few of them screamed as the pain increased, several stumbling to their knees. All of them winced and took several deep breaths, even as the pain decreased and went away altogether. Morinth's wolfish grin was back now as they regained their feet.

"Now, you are free, my sisters." There was suddenly a deep gravitas in the voice, that had not been there before. "You may stay here in your own mental chains, waiting for inevitable death and worse."

The scoffs and angry mumbles that ran through the crowd showed what most thought of that idea.

"Or you can come with me, and fight for this galaxy of ours."

Then she turned and pressed another button on the datapad. A hidden door, known only to the residents of the monastery, opened on the side of a seemingly-nondescript garden wall, revealing the set of stairs that led to the compound's main armory.

"Then arm yourselves, sisters! Take all that you can carry! WAR BECKONS!"

There was a general rush forward, several of the younger girls whooping with sheer joy as they made their way down the stairs, looking for their personal lockers they were allowed access to only when sent out on officially (or rather _unofficially)_ sanctioned missions and assassinations authorized by the Matriarchs of the Asari Republics. An older asari, scars streaked across her face, paused to stand beside Morinth.

"That ship you came in won't hold us all," she said in a low tone. Morinth nodded.

"We have others inbound. And the hanger has nine long-distance shuttles that will take us to the rendezvous point. Not to worry, Edaine."

Her knowledge of her name, coupled with the dismissive hand gesture _identical_ to the habitual gesture constantly used by Gallae, clearly unnerved the other, who simply stepped past and moved down the stairs, never breaking eye contact with Morinth until the line of sight was broken.

Morinth then turned and faced her two sisters, who stood motionless just a few steps away. Despite the bravado and self-assurance she had projected only moments ago, there was hesitation in her face now, along with doubt: What could you say to your two long-lost sisters, after three _centuries_ of separation? Would they even _remember_ her?

"Falere… Rila."

There was a moment's hesitation before Falere suddenly ran forward and seized her sister in a fierce embrace, Rila following at a respectful distance behind, reaching out to touch Morinth's shoulder, only for her sister to seize her arm and pull her into the group hug as well.

"Mother told us you'd been taken!" Falere gasped. "She… _we've_ been so worried about you."

"I _was_ taken," Morinth confirmed, "to Omega. Shots were fired, people died…it's a long story."

She released both of her sisters, and held each of them at arm's length to look into their faces. "And now I've fulfilled my vow to our mother to return to the Monastery."

That brought a conflicted expression to Rila's face.

"Mirala, we… we can't just run off and leave," Samara's middle child began. "When communications cease, they'll send commandos. Then Mother will be hunting _us_ too."

Morinth's expression was tender and understanding.

"You _can't_ stay here, Rila: The Reapers are coming. That fact is inexorable and incontrovertible."

Falere and Rila both nodded, taking in the truth of the statement.

"I have to keep you safe, the same as Mother feels that she must," their older sister continued.

"I don't know." Falere's hand were wringing now. "I don't think I _could_ fight Mother, if it came down to it…"

"And Goddess willing, it will never come to that," Morinth reassured. "And when this war is over, I'll take you wherever you want to go. Even… even if that means back here."

Then she reached out and cupped a hand to her sister's cheek.

"Do I not also have your love, Fae-Day?"

The youngest sister smiled, and a tear of nostalgia darted from her eye at the nickname she hadn't heard for two centuries, probably.

"Morinth."

The voice of Cheshire caused Morinth to cringe, and not just because it interrupted a long-overdue reunion with her sisters.

"WHAT?" she snapped.

"You need to hear this."

Morinth sighed, and patted Falere on the cheek, and gave a reassuring nod to Rila.

"Go with the others for now. I'll rejoin you on the ship."

She whirled, walking with the seven-foot-tall Leviathan synthetic until they were a sufficient distance away as to not be overheard or seen.

"What is it?" she hissed, trying to keep her tone even, and failing. Cheshire made no response, other than to raise his left hand. A holographic projection of an armored figure appeared, standing on the emitter embedded in the palm. Morinth's breath caught in her throat as the scarred face nodded curtly at her.

" **Morinth**."

"Ko'le…" she answered, her mind racing to try and anticipate where this conversation was going. "If you're calling about…"

 **"I know where you fucking are,"** Ko'le snapped, his tone harsh and curt. **"And I know what you've** ** _fucking_** **done: Water beneath our keel. We'll deal with that later. I need you to take your Nightsisters and join me on the Citadel."**

"THE CITADEL?!"

All theories as to where she _thought_ this conversation was going went out the airlock.

 **"Javik and Petrovsky are planning an attack,"** Ko'le continued. " **Trying to launch a coup against the Council and seize control of the Citadel for themselves. They need it for the Crucible, a weapon powerful enough to stop the Reapers."**

Morinth cocked her head, her tactical mind trying to keep up with these startling new developments.

"Forgive me for being sharkish," she started, half-formed thoughts and ideas finding voice, "And bad luck for the Council and all, but what are the drawbacks of… _letting_ them do just that, if this… Crucible really will work?"

 **"It is a trap,"** Ko'le explained. **"A Reaper-built trap designed to make a cycle waste resources and time building a doomsday weapon that if triggered, destroys only themselves."**

"How do you…?"

"He is the Ordained," Cheshire cut off her question. "He knows."

Cheshire missed the peeved expression Morinth shot him as he turned his face back to the figure on his hand.

"What are your orders, Ordained?" he asked.

Ko'le cocked his head at the giant.

 **"What is the status of the Fallen Fleet?"**

"They are assembled, waiting only for your order."

 **"Summon them,"** Ko'le nodded. **"If Petrovsky's got a fleet large enough to take the Citadel, I will need every ship I can get."**

Cheshire nodded, then his 'eyebrows' lifted as if he suddenly remembered something.

"If we are bound for the Citadel, there is another you must contact: another who remembers and serves the First Masters."

Ko'le nodded. **"I know. But I would wait to activate them until we can get on-station. Keep in contact with me and let me know when you arrive at the Widow Relay."**

"We obey, Ordained."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, FF has decided to make my life interesting again, and the one week I set a review goal for everyone is the week I start to get notifications that I have a review, and the review counter keeps on going up, and… it won't allow me to read any of the newer reviews. FF has managed to get some of them, so if anyone's comment is left out of the "Reviewer Responses", I promise it's not personal (or at least, not personal to me). I can only respond to the reviews I can read!**

 **So according to the last count FF let me see, there were 13 recorded reviews, with more of them probably lost to cyberspace! I l decided to upload this chapter early as a special thank-you to everyone who has stuck with me from the beginning, and to all the people who have joined us just recently! You all are awesome, and I sincerely mean that from the bottom of my heart!**

 **Please read and review/PM. Your reviews and messages are the biggest reasons that this story has improved as we have gone along. Plus, it really brightens my day, and I could use some awesome-ness like you guys in my day!**

 **ROCK ON!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Deathknight999 – Intriguing concept! Sounds like a FF you should write!

Pietersielie – There will be brighter days to come, I promise.

griezz, jackli10345, METALHELLSPWN – Petrovsky is a sound tactician, analyzing and crunching numbers. If he must kill a billion to save a _trillion_ , he counts that as a win. Something Javik approves of as _very_ Prothean. They are not monsters, just doing what they believe is right.

Toothless is best – Cheeky…. Lol thanks, I just had an image of two zombie-like hordes fighting each other as they collided in a headlong charge.

BJ Hanssen – Glad I could surprise you!

maesde – That's the kicker with SI stories, isn't it? You can't say "We can't do that, it didn't work last time."

ronnambi – Petrovsky represents a _small_ faction of the Conclave, as he is consistently abandoning Conclave worlds and fleets in his single-minded dedication to getting the Crucible completed.

redcollector – Revenge is not really one of Kevin's motivations, so much as desperate hope. He doesn't _really_ hold anything against Javik. Beast, on the other hand…

XCOMHEAVY12, general-joseph-dickson – Thanks! I appreciate the support!

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always!

EE-RAH!


	12. Stormclouds: Meetings and Partings

***CITADEL*  
WIDOW RELAY  
SERPENT NEBULA **

"Well, this is a rare form of clusterfuck."

I had expected to come out of FTL into the middle of a battle, or perhaps the aftermath of one.

Instead, I sat there with my three ships, staring out at a mass panic.

 _Hundreds_ of ships were scattered between us and the distant Citadel station. Civilian yachts, merchant freighters, turian scout ships, asari gunships, and even just long-range shuttles. An equal number of people seemed to be headed towards from the massive station as were trying to flee away. In the short time that we had sat there, five collisions had taken place, and I'm pretty sure we had witnessed one of the civilian ships _shoot_ another one out of its way.

I peered at the battle taking place on the other side of the tangle of ships, also turning and studying the image brought up by our scanners.

"Where is the _Destiny Ascension_?" I puzzled. "There are not that many of Oleg's ships here. Not enough to challenge a ship of _that_ size."

"Probably still on that stupid 'Victory Tour' that Tevos and Udina organized, sir," Renin answered, managing to keep the sneer off his face, if not his voice.

"Hooray for _bosh'tets_ and their perfect timing," Muerta groaned sarcastically behind me.

"At least for Petrovksy," I nodded, "If it _were_ here, there's probably no way Oleg or Javik would have attempted something like this."

"What are your orders, sir?" Nom asked, his holographic form appearing on the small display next to the _Agamemnon_ 's captain's chair. "Straight on in?"

"What do our scans show?" I asked.

"Sir," the turian communications officer saluted ( _Auncel is his name,_ my subconscious supplied). "I count thrity-eight Conclave vessels in close formation on the Relay side of the Citadel, including the _Virago_ and the _Hira_."

 _Shit_.

The two hanar capital-class dreadnaughts would be tough to take on if I had my entire fleet, much less three small ships.

"Any sign of any defenders left?"

Auncel nodded. "Eighteen Council vessels, mostly turian, and about eight or nine corporate or civilian ships are in formation on the opposite side of the Citadel. Oh…"

"Yes?" I inquired.

"Sir," the turian hesitated, "they are falling in formation around an Alliance frigate. Designation: CSV _Normandy_."

I sighed deeply. There was no putting it off any further. Short of a bloody miracle, and Mother knows, I had used up enough of those, there was no way I was going to board the Citadel and confront Javik or Oleg without running into the infamous Commander Shepard.

 **Enough of that, Kevin. Worry about the problem at hand.**

"Smart," I nodded, staring at the blips on the tactical map. "They're maneuvering to keep the Citadel between the two fleets. Shepard knows she doesn't have the firepower to take on the two dreadnaughts, and whoever is in command over on the Conclave side is not a big enough fool to divide the attacking fleet in half."

"But time is on the Citadel's side," Nom added, "Every second the Conclave fleet doesn't do something, doubtless more and more Citadel reinforcements are on their way."

"But that doesn't help us though, does it?" Chell asked from the _Nakmor's Fury_. "Don't forget the Citadel defenses are still up and gunning. I doubt they'll give us an opportunity to identify ourselves."

"I'm pretty sure the giant gold 'C' on our hull is all the identification they'll need," I agreed. "So the only way in for us then is to head where Oleg's boys have _already_ knocked out the defenses. The main battleground right now is in C-Sec, and Citadel Control."

Muerta looked sideways at me.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"The arms are still open," Reyna said, entering the command bridge.

"True," Kolyat added, from just a few steps behind her. "Regardless of who was in control, if it was secured, they would want them closed."

I nodded approvingly at my two former students.

"Closing the arms would bring the active Aurelian Shields online," I agreed. "Once that happened, there wouldn't be a chance in hell of any more Conclave reinforcements getting on-station. The Conclave needs to close the arms to bring the engines online."

"Engines?" Chell and Muerta asked almost simultaneously.

"The plan is to…" I sighed at the lunacy of it all, "… _steal_ the Citadel and take it to wherever they're building the Crucible. It attaches directly to Citadel Control."

"Like Sovereign and Saren attempted to do in the…well, the _last_ Battle of the Citadel?" Reyna asked.

"Exactly."

"That is.."Chell paused, trying to find the right words, "...a commendably _audacious_ plan."

"They are mad, but they are not cowards," I admitted.

"So we need to make a break for the docks," Nom suggested. "Secure against any more reinforcements and fight our way to C-Sec. _Jidd-Yano_."

I paused for a moment on the last phrase before remembering that it meant "Same again," the volus equivalent to "déjà vu."

 _True. It does seem like we've done this before. Oh wait, we have._

"Arm cannons and begin firing warning shots to any of the nearest ships," I ordered. "All marines and ground parties to the shuttles.

"Sir?"

"I'm hoping that if the Conclave ships see us 'engaging' these ships, they'll assume we're here to help."

"Especially if they see shuttles of reinforcements inbound for their docks," Muerta grinned wolfishly.

"Whatever we decide to do," Renin insisted, "we should do it quickly."

"Quite so, Captain," I agreed, "Gentlemen, ladies: let's be about our business here."

A few minutes later, the shuttles from the three ships were moving in close formation towards the Citadel docks. No one from either side had hailed any of our three ships, or any of the shuttles.

 **So far, so good.**

 _They seem to have taken the bait._

I glanced up at Reyna, who was seated to my right.

"You didn't have to come with me," I said for the thirty-third time. "You two have just been through an eight-day siege. Nobody would've blamed you for staying behind, or going to Skyhold with your mother."

Reyna shook her head. She had gone through a process called _T'Yelu Mashki_ in the Thorian language: literally, it translated to "shedding skin." She was closer to what I remembered now: her "asari tentacles" were shortened to the point where she could wear a helmet again, and she was wearing standard Conclave battle armor, albeit a light suit. Kolyat was wearing an almost identical suit, adjusting the sights on a massive custom Raptor sniper rifle.

"When your mentor shows up back from the dead, I'm pretty sure that's a sign from Kalahira herself," the young drell said. "Besides… my father is here. I need to make sure he's alright."

I winced. I had actually managed to forget all about dying Thane.

"Huerta Memorial?" I asked, of course Kevin already knowing the answer as Kolyat nodded.

"His favorite doctor gave him three months to live," Kolyat shrugged, "Of course, that was seven months ago. I don't… I don't even know if he's alive right now. I was supposed to meet him here after dropping Reyna back home. Then came the siege and…"

Reyna reached over a placed a gloved hand on top of his own. He turned his hand over and squeezed hers back.

I blinked slowly.

"We'll find him," I said, in what I hoped passed for an optimistic tone.

 _How do you tell a boy… no, a man now, that his father is about to die?_

 **You are once again assuming that things will happen the same as it did in your games.**

"Here we are," Muerta said, from up in the pilot's seat. The quarian ex-cultist had proven to be a good shuttle-pilot, and had booted the hapless Conclave pilot over into the co-pilot's seat before the gangly still-teenager could object. "Don't see any drawn weapons, just a small welcoming party. Don't think they've caught on, just yet."

I exhaled a sigh of silent thanks to the Mother Above. "We're still on Plan A, then."

The nine shuttles fanned out over the Citadel docks. To a casual observer, that might have been attributed to the fact that, with the invaders' shuttles taking most of the landing pads, the shuttles were merely landing where they could find room. From our perspective, however, our men were taking positions to surround the docks before ever a shot was fired. The quarian helmet would serve to hide my face from whoever was greeting us, but I had no delusions of passing for a quarian. I had too many fingers and too few knees, to start with. But odd stares were better than outright screams of terror, a reaction that while rare, wasn't entirely unknown to seeing my new Leviathan-provided makeover.

"You the reinforcements from the 83rd?" a drell officer asked us as we emerged from the shuttle.

"That's right," Kolyat answered, the major's bars on his armor granting him a hasty salute from the other. If the gig wasn't up immediately, the plan had been for Kolyat to take the lead. "What's the situation, captain? Last we heard, the main fighting was still in C-Sec."

The captain sighed deeply and nodded. "We had almost overrun them completely. One more push and we would've had them."

"What happened?" Kolyat asked.

"The Amonkira-damned Hero of the Citadel, that's what happened," the captain said, shaking his head. "Arashu witness, I've never seen the like: She and her reinforcements _tore us apart_. I was lucky to get my own men out of that damned killing field. They don't have the numbers for an offensive push, Arashu be thanked, but I'm damned glad to see your men... uh, sir."

"Any prisoners?" Kolyat asked.

The captain shook his head.

"No sir, we've followed the standing orders: no civilians are to be harmed or detained needlessly. But…"

Kolyat cocked his head in a perfectly natural suspicion that became a commanding officer.

"But _what_ , captain?"

"There's several sick and wounded here, sir. Refugees with no place to go, and their families. I've posted guards to make sure they came to no harm. But… it's still tied up a few dozen of my men."

 _Well that's one good change from the games. Cerberus massacred everyone where they stood._

Kolyat nodded approvingly.

"You've done well, Captain. You are to be commended. But now I must ask you for your sidearm."

"Sir?"

Rifles came up. The captain's guard and the other Conclave soldiers nearby looked hesitant for just a moment, until Chell and her krogan, as well as Kapena and his elcor, suddenly appeared, their weapons _humming_ in their warm-up sequences. To the captain's credit, he remained calm, merely turning back to look at Kolyat.

"Ahh," he said slowly. "You're with…. With…"

"They're with _me_ , Captain," I said, stepping forward slowly. The Conclave troops flinched reflexively, and not a few hands wandered near weapons.

"Captain Markel," I said slowly, "You have a reputation of doing right by the men under your command. Don't throw their lives away foolishly now in some useless gesture of misplaced bravery. Lay down your arms, and you and your men will be spared, I swear it."

If Markel was startled by my knowing his name, he did not show it. Excruciatingly slowly, he drew the pistol from his hip, using only two fingers, then extended it towards Kolyat, handle first.

"Your prisoners, sir."

The rest of his men seemed to relax, but only slightly, and handed their weapons over peacefully, if sullenly. Muerta walked back over to me while they were being herded back together, a newly-acquired shotgun in her arms.

"Three dozen prisoners, and all without firing a shot, Void-walker! A glorious day, is not?"

I grinned at the unmasked delight that could be seen even through the helmet of the quarian.

"We've been lucky," I agreed. "Can't expect it to hold, though. And now I've got to leave folk behind to hold the docks _and_ to guard prisoners. Doesn't leave us many with which to push forward."

Muerta's head cocked sideways. Clearly, she hadn't considered that side of our "good" luck. Then she shrugged.

"Larger shares of glory to pass around," the young quarian exile said carelessly, shrugging.

I rolled my eyes at the sheer carelessness in the expression. Then suddenly I heard a scream of delight off to my left, and my eyes turned just in time to see a red-headed girl and Reyna embrace. Kolyat was at her elbow, as always, but he was also pulled into the embrace. The red-head was in an Alliance uniform and…

"Kelly?!"

Kelly Chambers turned towards the sound of my voice, confusion crossing her expression for just an instant, then her face brightened.

"Ko'le!?"

There was no passionate hug for me, I noticed, but there was also no open hostility either.

 **Hopeful-yet-guarded uncertainty.**

"It's really you…" the Normandy's former yeoman said, amazement and disbelief apparent.

"It _really is,_ " reassured Reyna. "The Leviathans rebuilt him, Kels, not the Reapers. I've seen his mind in the Vine-Speak, he's not indoctrinated."

 **That sentence is not as reassuring as the girl seems to think it is.**

 _What's that phrase of ours? One day at a time._

"You're with the Alliance now?" I asked, not-so-subtly dodging the massive elephant in the room.

"Umm… yes," Kelly said, looking down at her uniform. "After the… mission, Shepard asked me to join Udina's staff here on the Citadel. I've been working these past few weeks to coordinate relief efforts with the main hospitals, both Huerta Memorial and Zakera General, and to try and utilize what resources the refugees have brought with them. I was.. here, when the Conclave troops appeared."

"Everybody alright?" I asked. Markel didn't strike me as a liar, but I knew that things happened that the higher-ups didn't get told on a battlefield.

Kelly nodded. "Actually, yes. The troops did their best to prevent mass panic and minimize civilian casualties. Some of the hotter heads in the refugees tried to fight with C-Sec when they first arrived. They… didn't last long. Markel needed somebody to put in charge of the rest of them and… I was here."

"Have you talked to Shepard?"

She shook her head. "I know she's here. They haven't really talked about anything else since they fell back from C-Sec, but I also know that there's still a battle going on up there."

I drew my rifle from my back.

"Then that's where we're headed. Reyna, any signs of our reinforcements?"

Reyna shook her head.

"Not yet, but nobody's bothering our three ships either, Alliance or Conclave."

 _Bollocks._

"Then we're on our own," I sighed. "But there's no time to waste. Kapena, you're in command here. Keep Markel and his men under guard, but don't harm anybody if you can help it."

I whirled to face the drell captain.

"I cannot stress enough how stupid it would be, for _all of you_ , if any of your men decided to do something foolish, Captain."

The drell paled just slightly, but saluted formally.

"My men are disciplined, sir, not rabble. Consider our parole given, insofar as I am able. On my word before Kalahira, and on my honor as an officer."

I nodded in reply, returning the salute.

"Red-Squad, move it out!"

Chell lumbered over to me, out of earshot of the prisoners.

"Sir, let my men go with you. Kapena can guard these prisoners well enough. There is no glory to be won in guarding unresisting men."

I put a hand on the female krogan's shoulder. Or rather, her forearm, as I would have had to stand on tiptoe to reach her shoulder.

"Not to worry, my friend. Once Petrovsky can't raise these men, he'll begin to suspect something's up. Kapena may be able to guard the prisoners, yes, but he can't do that _and_ resist a counter-attack at the same time. That role, and its glory, must fall to you. You must hold here, Nakmor Chell. We lose this ground, and we lose it all."

Chell's jaw tightened, but her eyes lit up in anticipation. She patted a hand on her shotgun, and the other stroked the javelins at her hip.

"You can count on us, _Imperator_. We will hold here."

I nodded curtly, biting my back instinctive correction and moving forward. Reyan, Kolyat, Muerta, Zynt, and eclectic group of Omega ex-mercenaries moved forward with me. Iliaas and the twins also moved with us. Kapena and the regular Conclave troops stayed with the prisoners. The reasoning behind that was that it would make any potential prisoner uprising even less likely, with Conclave troops hesitant to raise weapons against their former comrades, no matter what side of this little civil war they were on.

We made our way down the streets, the signs of recent battle evident in the fallen bodies of civilians and C-Sec alike, but they were surprisingly rare, as were Conclave patrols.

 _Another sign of how thinly Conclave forces are stretched. They've pulled every soldier for a last –ditch effort to secure C-Sec._

 **We will be too few to overrun them.**

 _Not for long._

I knelt suddenly, focusing my mind and opening a mental channel as wide as I dared.

 **"ARISE AND STAND WITH ME!**

 **I SALUTE AND DO CALL UPON THE XIZ'MATCHI, WHO STAND FOR THE FIRST MASTERS!"**

Reyna brought a hand up to the side of her head, wincing. Then came the low-pitched droning that I hadn't heard now for… _so long_.

"SPEAK THEN, ORDAINED, AND WE OBEY."

" **TO ARMS, BRETHREN! FIGHT, AND DEFEND THE CONTROL TOWER! NONE OF THOSE WHO ATTACK CITADEL SECURITY ARE TO REACH THE STATION CONTROLS!**

 **PROTECT THOSE WHO STAND FOR THE CITADEL COUNCIL!**

 **PROTECT SHEPARD AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW HER!**

 **ENSURE IT, WITH SPEAR AND SHIELD!  
SECURE IT, WITH BLADE AND BLOOD! **

**HEAVY IS THE HAND OF DUTY THAT LAYS UPON ME!  
GREAT IS MY NEED OF AID AND SUPPORT!"**

"WE HEAR, AND WE OBEY, ORDAINED. THE XIZ'MATCHI SERVE THE FIRST MASTERS, AND NONE OTHER."

 **"THANKEE-SAI, BROTHERS. I REMAIN THE SERVANT OF THE FIRST MASTERS, AS THEE."**

"UNTIL THE CYCLES BE ENDED, ORDAINED."

Reyna straightened, exhaling as she did so. "I'm _fine_ ," she insisted, shaking Kolyat off her elbow. Then she looked up at me.

"What… what was that?"

"The Keepers fight with us," I explained curtly, pressing forward again. "Petrovsky's in for a _very_ rude surprise, I'm thinking."

Stunned surprise met my words, before they jump-started their brains back into action. My connection with the station's Keepers had been a secret to everyone, even Javik and Shepard, or even Ashley, until now.

"Well that changes things," Iliaas mumbled, bringing his main gun online.

Two more abandoned city blocks, up several flights of stairs, and suddenly the faint sound of gunfire grew louder and louder. Finally, glanced around a corner to find the rear of the Conclave attacker's position, gun crews and turret-guns set up in a remarkably-efficient cross-fire.

 _Right. Time to gun down men that I've trained. Men that we promised to lead, to defend, and.. and…_

 **Shall I?**

 _…Yes._

"TAKE THE MOTHERFUCKERS!" I heard Beast's raw half-scream, half-animal screech as Kevin's logical, rational, and very inexperienced persona retreated.

I came around the corner, bringing up my rifle and marking targets for my comrades in my HUD. Iliaas' massive rifle took down the turret's shields with a single shot, and Kolyat's follow-up brought it down with a small explosion of sparks and blue flame. Muerta's biotics and my own scattered two squads who, with iron-rod discipline had whirled to try and face this new threat.

Just beyond our own fight, I could make out green, spider-like creatures pouring from every inconceivable ventilation shaft and sewer drain. They were armed with long, silver spears in each of their upper arms, red tendrils of energy streaming from the spearheads, and Omni-Shields on both of their lower arms.

There were confused screams of panic as the Keepers overran the front ranks of defenders, spears thrusting and slashing, a few of them even thrown forwards to impale more of the Conclave troopers. Grenades began to detonate as the troopers shifted tactics to deal with this new, horrifying threat.

"EE-RAH!"

Hearing the battle-cry in the ranks of my enemies might have hurt Kevin's sensibilities, but to Beast, it was only another noise. A black-wreathed shockwave blossomed from my right arm, scattering men left and right, a few asari in the Conclave ranks managing to get their barriers up in time to resist the massive attack, but these were too few, and now too isolated to mount an effective resistance to our offensive. I saw Muerta roll under an asari's warp, bringing her cyborg arm up in an uppercut that crushed bone beneath it. It was possible that the trooper had survived the blow, but somehow I doubted it.

 _There!_

 _Something_ in the back of my mind, Beast or Kevin, I knew not which prompted an abrupt stop and both of my hands shot up, my rifle clattering on the pavement. The massive sniper-round impacted a black barrier, driving me to my knees, and causing my head to ring from the strain.

Ogando's expression was a gaping surprise and utter disbelief. It was not entirely unexpected. In all of the time that I had known him, there had never been an enemy short of a Harvester that had required a second shot from his Unholy Rifle. The expression was still on his face when Kolyat's round impacted his armor's barriers, the heavy round knocking him from the narrow ledge where he had hidden himself. The Prothean sniper pitched forward, trying desperately to use his biotics to slow his fall, but he still hit the ground hard, his leg bending at an odd angle. It might have been that moment of distracting pain that was his downfall. Even as his expression twisted in pain, his form jerked like it had been hit with a pulse of electricity. Two more Keepers rushed in, thrusting their own spears into the weak points and joints of the Prothean armor.

 _EE-RAH, brother. Go now to the arms of the Father, and tell Him how sorry I am for arranging your early passage over._

And all of this had happened in seconds. C-Sec agents in heavy riot gear ceased fire, no doubt trying to figure out what the _hell_ was going on.

"ORDAINED: A BLADE BEARER INFILTRATES THE TOWER," the Voice of the Keepers echoed in my brain. "HE MAKES FOR THE SALARIAN COUNCILOR, GUARDED ALONE BY THE CITADEL SECURITY EXECUTOR."

 _Shit. FUCK. And damn it._

 ** _"_** **PROTHEAN?"** I asked, focusing on the here and now.

"HUMAN."

 _Kai Leng._

Suddenly, a shadow fell across the entire courtyard, and Drop Pods crashed into the courtyard. These, however, were not the standard Conclave issue. They looked to be carved from stone, beige-gray in color, and not a single piece of circuitry visible. Then the rock seemed to split, and armored asari figures burst forth from them. The attention of C-Sec was now fully on these new-comers. Her armor was different, but I recognized the aura, if not the voice and figure.

"Friendlies!" Morinth called, lowering her weapon and holding up another towards the C-Sec position. "Thessian Special Forces!"

 _Well, technically, that was true: Nightsisters_ were _often utilized by the Matriarchs_.

It was just absurd enough to be true, and I opened a private channel to Reyna and Kolyat.

 **"Cloak. Follow."**

I activated my own active camouflage, the Thorian and the drell following suit, and falling in behind me. With all the attention focused on Morinth's unconventional arrival, it was a simple thing to sneak past gaping C-Sec officers. I felt a twinge of regret at leaving Muerta and Iliaas without so much as a word, but both knew Morinth, and she would take care of them. Time was of the essence here, and I dared not waste any in useless explanations or equally useless pleas for access to the Presidium tower.

The three of us raced forward, still cloaked, but highlighted on each other's HUDs. Faint memories now of the third Mass Effect game now flooded my Mind Palace, vibrant and full. Suddenly, I held up a hand when voices sounded ahead of us.

"Bailey, looks like they got the executor and two salarian bodyguards."

 **"Damn,"** came a coarse voice that sounded like it was coming through an Omni-Tool. **"All right, keep searching. If you don't see the councilor's body, don't count her out yet."**

 _Shepard. Bailey._

I winced as I realized we were too late to save the executor, then tensed as I realized that Leng and the councilor were now playing hide-and-seek.

 **Thane's death comes soon.**

 _NO! NOT THIS TIME!_

By now, we were directly behind Shepard's squad. I could see the Hero of the Citadel overlooking the room, with a turian next to her, and a bigger human on the other, right next to an asari.

 _Garrus, Vega, and Liara…_

Shepard was looking down through the window on the far side.

 _If things stay like they do in the game…_

 **We have no way of knowing that, Kevin!**

I took a momentous wager: A thousand-to-one odds against me. But I took it.

The sound of my running footfalls drew Shepard's attention, even if she still couldn't see anything as she brought up her pistol and whirled. But my jump carried me directly over her crouched form, straight through the glass panel in a swirling display of black biotics around my uncloaking form. I sailed through the air…

…and directly into the figure of a descending Kai Leng. There was a muted gasp of surprise as I took the former N7/ ex-Cerberus assassin in a flying tackle, which carried us over the salarian figure beneath us, and hit the ground hard, rolling and cursing even as cold steel was drawn. My wrist sprouted the remains of Lieutenant, forged from the remains of Kaiden Alenko's weapon of choice. A thin and slender _katana_ was in Kai Leng's hand as he rolled to his feet, pure incredulity stamped across his face. I closed with him, bringing my Omni-Shield online as well. It was the actions of a Roman centurion against a Japanese Samurai, shield held before me, covering my armored form from thigh to chin, my eyes just above the top of the shield.

"THANE!" I bellowed to the drell assassin I could _feel_ nearby. "Protect the councilor!"

"You're _alive_ ," Kai Leng breathed more than whispered. Then the voice hardened and grew cold.

"What _fun_."

Then the sword was spinning forward, sunlight flashing off the blade. I brought the shield across my body, shifting right to keep myself between Leng and the salarian councilor. My own wrist-blade came up in short stabbing motions, resisting the natural urge to sweep the blade in wide, swinging blows. Then gunfire sounded, a pistol barking as it drew nearer. Leng's tech barriers easily absorbed the shots, but then I saw his eyes grow wide, even beneath the goggles. A sniper rifle boomed, and I saw the barriers short out, even as they stopped _that_ shot. Leng turned and cloaked again, but my Prothean-supplied optical implants could see the outline of his figure. I reached back and drew my pistol from the small of my back, firing on pure instinct. I saw the figure lurch, and bright red appear on a nearby wall, but the running figure did not stop.

I turned just in time to see Thane and Kolyat standing side by side, Reyna and Shepard's squad bounding through the broken window. Shepard's face was hard, but the question was obvious. Liara's was aghast, while Vega's and Garrus' were typically neutral, both flicking eyes over to their leader for direction. But my next words were addressed to Kolyat:

"Stay with the councilor! Keep her safe!"

And when I did talk to Shepard, it was only to bark another order:

"Get the Council to safety, Shepard! I've got to end this madness!"

Then I turned and let my biotics flash me away without another word. I took in a rush of pride and joy from Kevin.

 _Yes! We SAVED HIM! By GOD, we god-damned saved somebody!_

I had full confidence in Shepard's ability to get the Council to safety as I ran towards my destination. With Shepard _not_ imprisoned for the events of Arrival, there was probably no amity between Ash and Shepard.

 _But is Udina still a traitor? Is he betraying the rest of the Council to Petrovsky?_

Somehow I doubted it, but I couldn't think of that now. The errand I was now set upon was too important: this victory would be a bloody and Pyrrhic one if I couldn't accomplish my task.

There were only a few scattered C-Sec guards here now (most of them probably deployed to the front line at C-Sec HQ). These were easily avoided, my armor re-cloaking, to say nothing of civilians rushing back and forth in terror, further distracting the guards. Finally, I reached my goal.

Anyone standing guard in the lobby of the Presidium would have thought that someone from one of the upper levels had summoned the elevator that hummed to life and ascended Citadel Tower. I winced as I remembered clambering up the _outside_ of the same elevator shaft when I had first organized the Immortals against Saren.

The doors opened, and I stepped forward into the now-abandoned Council chamber, the site of the turian Spectre's final stand. The glass floor between the main chamber and the reflective gardens below had been repaired, and as I approached, the main control panel of the Citadel came online, ascending as I stepped forward; no doubt a sub-routine installed by the Keepers in the aftermath and cleanup of the last battle. I stretched out a hand to connect to the main systems and…

"DAMN YOU!"

The scream came only a few seconds before the signature burst of a Phaestron rifle barked, draining my shields and barriers within even fewer seconds. A figure in bright Phoenix armor was walking towards me, unnoticed while I had been lost in nostalgia.

"Ash!" I yelled, throwing up a black barrier to block more shots as I took several steps back, using the turian councilor's podium as cover from the firestorm.

"YOU don't get to call me that!" Ashley Williams screamed, pain and fury in the sound. "ONLY HIM, understand!? ONLY HIM!"

A grenade whistled through the air as she threw it. I rolled sideways to avoid the blast, now behind the asari podium.

"Ash, it's ME!"

"The HELL IT IS! I _mourned_ him for six months, you BASTARD!" The anger in the scream now gave way to a choked sob. "And now I'm _just beginning_ to be _happy_! You hear me? HAPPY! And now… now… DAMN YOU, DAMN YOU TO HELL!"

 _Fuck. What now?_

"What can I say that would convince you!?"

A concussive round tore away the top half of my cover.

"NOT A DAMN THING!"

 _Damn that Williams stubborn streak!_

"These are YOUR soldiers attacking the Citadel! Javik told us you were corrupted! The Reapers built a copy of my friend, sent him to get every conclave soldier he could, and now you attack the Citadel at our moment of greatest weakness!"

I winced as I crouched behind Udina's podium, the last cover available in the wide-open expanse. Of course, Javik would poison Shepard against me. It was probably a sobbing confession, made to Shepard in private; a confession that Shepard would of course felt like she was honor-bound to share with the woman who had once been my lover.

"Fine, I'll prove it to you!"

 **NO. BAD IDEA, Kevin! BAD IDEA!**

Ignoring Beast's protests, I tossed rifle overhead, hearing it clattering somewhere near her. The firing stopped. I did the same with my pistol, wincing reflexively as I heard the carefully-modded weapon clatter against the polished marble floors.

"I _won't_ fight you!"

I heard footsteps approaching. I _very slowly_ peeked out from my cover. Ashley's rifle still raised, but she had a questioning look in her eye. I stood up even slower, both arms raised so she could see my hands.

She approached me, her rifle slowly lowering as we got closer. Her expression was inquisitive and suspicious, carefully studying my scarred face.

"I _cannot_ fight you," I said in a low voice, the Lieutenant Commander now only a few paces from me.

"NO!"

The rifle started to rise, simultaneously with the scream, as the beautiful face I remembered twisted in pain and rage. Beast's reflexes served to carry us forward, a massive left hand closing on the barrel of the rifle and a biotic-strengthened pull ripping the weapon out of her grasp. I turned and sent it spinning away through the air. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my right side. I had grasped her right hand, causing her to let go of the combat knife sticking up from just under my breastplate, where it had pierced deep into my hip region.

"YOU ARE NOT HIM!" she screamed, tears running her face, struggling to grab it and no doubt stab me again even as my superior size held her off nearly effortlessly. "YOU ARE **NOT** HIM **!"**

 _WHAT IS IT with me and getting stabbed by my friends!?_

 **ENOUGH! She's made her CHOICE!**

 ** _Beast, no!_**

The warpfire strike that would have burned through her armor turned into a powerful push as the Seneschal pushed his control forwards with a terrible desperation. It was enough to send her back across the room, landing hard on her back, but other than hard knocks, she was unharmed.

I stumbled back, my right leg suddenly refusing to take any weight. I reached a hand to steady myself, grasping the command console. I activated the Omni-Tool on my left hand, and began the transfer

"If I **_really was_** the monster you take me for, Ash," I panted through gritted teeth, trying to focus past the pain, "Then would I do… this?"

There was a powerful _HUM_ , as the Emergency Broadcast channel activated, playing through every Public Service Announcement Speaker on the Citadel:

 **"CONCLAVE SOLDIERS,"** a big Raloian voice boomed out, amplified a thousand times over, **"You have fought gallantly, and obeyed your superior's orders to the letter. You have done your utmost to avoid civilian casualties, and have conducted yourselves with honor."**

A breathy, raspy voice joined in:

 **"This is Representative Din Korlack: The Senate Guild of the Vol Nation unanimously condemns the actions of** ** _Imperator_** **Petrovsky, and begs all Vol-clan to do the same."**

 **"Gravely yet authoritatively,"** a deep droning voice added, **"This is Representative Calyn: The Courts of Dekunna condemn this unprovoked invasion of the Council Citadel. Imploringly: All elcor units, stand down."**

 **"This is Representative Ari'ka of the Raloian Great Skaa,"** the first voice continued, **"We will not condone the actions of this madman. All who value clan and wing-mate, let your** ** _Hak'kams_** **rest from war and blood!"**

 **"This is Representative Shiala Konstantin of the Traverse Republics,"** A soft-spoken, yet firm voice added to the rest, **"Republican soldiers: Petrovsky and the Terran Kratocracy have betrayed us all. The Citadel and the Council is not our enemy. Whatever weapon Petrovsky plans to build, it is not worth the cost of innocent lives, especially the lives of our allies. Cease all offensives immediately."**

I was trying to relax and keep pressure to my wound, when suddenly another voice spoke up: one I had _not_ been counting on.

 **"This is Representative Rhysan of the Illuminated Primacy: The Avatar of Vengeance has forgotten the face of the Enkindlers, and would pollute their sacred mission to the Hanar. This one urges all of the Faithful to stay this madness, and submit their commands to the word of the Enkindler's Herald."**

 _Bless you, He-Who-Speaks-For Others. Thanks to the All-Mother, and the Father Below._

I took a deep breath, and then pressed the transmit button again.

"Conclave units," I began, straining to keep the pain from my voice, instead projecting every ounce of authority I could into my command. "This is Ko'le Voidwalker. Stand down your arms and await further commands."

 _Act as if there is no doubt in your mind that you will be obeyed, and the lesser-willed will follow_.

That was the maxim that I had followed since arriving back in the Land of the Living. It had won over several ex-Immortals, pirate warlords, and Conclave generals.

 **But will it work now, or must we kill them ALL?**

There was a moment of dreadful silence. Then came another voice in answer:

 **"This is Captain Oroka of the** ** _Virago_** **. This one will stand down, and bow to the Herald of the Enkindlers. Gun crews, run cool-down sequences."**

Then came another voice, bleeding over the first:

 **"This Colonel Kryt: the 1** **st** **Heshtok stand down. We no fight no more."**

 **"All troopers of the 85** **th** **Lancers, this is Legate Vilnius…guns down, boys. We're out of this fight."**

 **"This is Sergeant Loren: The Dread-Hammers stand with the Conclave Circle. Standing by for further orders."**

 **"This is Lt. Lewis of the** ** _Hira:_** **I have taken command of this vessel. We will have no further part in this attack."**

More voices joined in, emboldened by their comrades' example, and their various representatives' entreaties.

Darkness began to fade in on the edges of my vision. My armor's systems couldn't apply Medi-gel properly with the combat knife still in me, and I knew better than to pull it out now. For all I knew, the pressure of the blade might be all that was holding an artery closed, and yanking it out might turn the slow trickle of blood into a fatal arterial pulse. I realized I was slumped over now, with my back against the console.

 _Gee. Déjà vu all over again. Fight in Citadel Control… pass out at the last minute…I need to break this pattern…_

I was vaguely aware of a metallic feminine face in front of mine, as well as a salarian. Voices seemed to echo somewhere in my head, but they came from so far away that they were only dull, muffled sounds. My own breathing seemed to sound like massive bellows and I could feel the pressure in my ears, just like I had finished running a marathon, or beaten my record in bench-pressing.

 **We… did it… Time… to rest now** _…_

 _Yay… go us! Just need to…. Catch my…breath… Take five…_

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **There it is: we've had a reunion with the Hero of the Citadel, and company. We all knew it wasn't going to be 100% peaceful. And on top of that, we've remet Kai Leng in all his colorful personality, and managed to broadcast a strong counter-message to the Conclave, dealing another blow to Javik and Petrovsky. And we actually managed to save Thane, so… there's that!**

 **Let me know what you all think! I do mean it when I say that your reviews always make my day!**

 **Next Week:** **Intermission – Remount, Refuel, Reload**

 **ROCK ON, everybody!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

YDdraigGoch94 - Ko'le is not gone, but that personality feels the weight of Javik's betrayal and his failure to redeem his Collector comrades the heaviest. He's not gone, just… manically depressed. That leaves Kevin and Beast as the only active personas in the confused Mind-Palace that is Ko'le Voidwalker.  
I appreciate your words! Constructive criticism is something I appreciate even more than praise, most times! The story is darker, yes. I've been trying to convey the sense that Kevin is feeling the exact frustrations that you explained (quite well, I thought). I'm hoping that Part 4 will rally as Kevin's personality does, and prove to be the equal of its predecessors.

METALHELLSPWN, Boomburst, cdog21, Tahkaullus01 – There will definitely be repercussions, to be sure. I think Ko'le's last broadcast will do a lot for mending fences with what's left of the Conclave (or at least Ko'le's faction of it).

Dragons guard – I hope to be returning to the 'once a week' update schedule.

BJ Hanssen – I hope you were pleasantly surprised!

Deathknight999, Nagato21 – The Ardat-Yakshi will definitely be an interesting element of Ko'le's army.

Mly92Reader – Yep, Mexican Stand-off. I think that phrase will long outlive an Earth that has a Mexico.

giezz – Very true, my friend. The worst villain is the one who truly believes that he is the hero of the story.

Toothles is best - :P

TheRedMezek – The aftermath of the Battle of Earth is yet another element I was unhappy with ME:3. With all the great powers broken, and the combined military might of the galaxy literally decimated, the galaxy would have been an open playground to those strong enough to claim it.

jorrdy12 – It is a role reversal, to be sure, and I think both Ko'le and Javik would be relieved to find out that either of them were indoctrinated. But the truly tragic thing would be that if neither of them were, wouldn't it?

ronnambi – Indeed.

Pietersielie, Puppystomper, maesde, general-joseph-dickson – Thanks so much! I appreciate it! Hope you guys will keep reading and continue reviewing!

* * *

 _May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always._

 _EE-RAH!_


	13. Intermission: Remount And Reload

***HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL*  
** **THE CITADEL  
** **WIDOW RELAY  
** **SERPENT NEBULA**

Liara was standing at the window, looking out over the smoke still arising from several buildings in the Presidium District.

 _Goddess_ , _was there really a battle here only twelve local hours ago?_ she wondered.

The sound of the elevator opening caused her to turn her head, smiling as the armored Spectre came into view.

"You're back," she hugged her lover, "How are things up there?"

Rebecca glared at her lover.

"You know, asking me questions you already know the answer to is not as cute as you think it is…"

Liara made a small apologetic nod.

"They're frightened, I know," she said gently. "They thought that closing the Conduit meant that the Citadel was once again secure; an opinion shared by most of this station's residents. "

"And Petrovsky and Javik practically waltzed onto the station, and damn near absconded with the entire Citadel." Shepard shook her head, as if trying to understand all of what had just happened. "I mean, it's like… somebody _stealing_ the Temple of Athame, or the Capital Building in Geneva."

"And yet it nearly happened."

Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose for a few moments, then turned back to Liara.

"Has he said anything yet?"

Liara shook her head.

"He opened his eyes once a few hours ago. I think he recognized me, but all he said was 'Spoon.' And grinned like it was funniest thing he'd ever heard."

"Spoon?"

She shrugged.

"Dr. Michel thinks he's still high from the medication. Ashley did… quite a number on him."

Shepard winced.

"How is she doing?"

"How do you think?" Liara replied. "Vega is with her now, and I think she drug him down to Purgatory to drink herself into a stupor, and more than likely into bed with her afterwards."

"I can understand that," Shepard sighed. "Wish I could do the same, right about now."

She leaned forward in her seat beside Liara, putting her head in her hands.

"I left him, Liara."

Liara reached over and put an arm around her bondmate's shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault," she insisted. "None of us had any reason to doubt Javik when he said he was dead. No more than to doubt that Zaeed was dead."

"I had Massani's body. I brought back _his_ body. Why didn't I go back for Ko'le?"

Liara planted a small kiss on Rebecca's cheek.

"Because then we would have all been dead, _amchara_."

Shepard nodded slowly, processing the events of the past several days.

"I talked to Kolyat and Reyna, she said eventually, "According to her, Javik lied to us on purpose. Well, not lied exactly: he thought Ko'le was dead, too, but only because he apparently stabbed him in the back to seize power."

Liara pursed her lips.

"The bombing at Kahje... the pallbearers of the coffin… were the Protheans closest to Ko'le…"

Shepard snorted. "He bombed _his own people_ to pull off a political coup of the Remnant. He killed the ones would might have taken offense to the fact that he stabbed their _Seneschal_ in the back. Everyone who remained would have been his supporters."

"No, no, too thin," Liara objected, slipping into her Shadow Broker train of thought. "Javik was _already_ the leader of the Remnant. There was no need to kill Ko'le."

"He _told_ me that Ko'le died after being Indoctrinated by the Proto-Reaper," Shepard pondered. "He said that Ko'le killed himself, throwing himself off the ledge. That he had died a hero... God, I don't know what to believe. But somebody's lying to me, and it _pisses_ me off!"

"Mordin and Chloe have performed several scans," Liara offered hopefully.

"I read those too," Shepard nodded. "'Inconclusive,' they said. They don't know what half of that shit _does_ , much less its origin. Petrovsky says he's indoctrinated by the Reapers, and Morinth insists that the Leviathans rebuilt him."

Liara nodded consolingly.

"Neither of them comforting options, and neither of them from anything of what we'd call reliable sources."

Shepard rubbed at her eyes, trying to drive sleep deprivation away by force of will.

"Exactly."

Another kiss brought a smile to both of their lips.

"Mordin is still running several tests," Liara reminded her bondmate.

"Well, that should please him."

At that moment, a red-headed woman in an Alliance medical uniform entered the hospital lobby/waiting room.

"Liara, I think he's… oh, Commander, you're here too," Dr. Chloe Michel purred in her lilting French accent. "I believe our patient is waking up."

"Can we talk to him?" Shepard asked, shooting to her feet.

Dr. Michel furrowed her brows in disapproval, but nodded.

" _Please_ do your best to keep him calm," she requested as she led them back down the long hallway. "Physically, the wound is healing well. Mentally…" she let her sentence trail off meaningfully.

"Calm and cool," confirmed Shepard. "You got it, Doc."

The figure revealed when the door opened caused Shepard to stop in her tracks for just a second. He had been wearing a helmet when Ashley and EDI had half-carried, half-dragged him into Huerta Memorial. She had seen what Reapers could do. Hell, she had been killing Brutes, Cannibals, Marauders, and Husks almost non-stop for the past several weeks.

The figure on the bed _was_ Ko'le, and then in the next second, it was something that _reminded_ her of Ko'le. The signature dreadlocks on his head looked almost perfectly natural, until you followed them down and noticed that they connected directly to the base of his neck. The individual cables looked _remarkably_ like hair in the way they laid on his head, and then again, seemed completely alien. But the voice and the smile that greeted them was 100% that of their long-lost friend.

"Shepard… Liara. We've gotta stop meeting like this."

Shepard gave what she hoped was her best friendly grin. The mirthless grin she received in return showed that she hadn't been as successful as she hoped.

"Not… _quite_ the face you remembered, is it?" he asked, lifting a hand to gesture to his face. At that, Liara was the one to flinch. The hands were massive, and the fingers were long and almost… _barbed_. At their reactions, the Neanderthal dropped his hand out of sight again sheepishly. Liara took two steps and took the hand in both of her own, pressing the back of it to her cheek.

"It is _good to see you_ , again, Ko'le," she said, in a tone _much_ more genuine (or at least more believable) than Shepard could've managed.

Ko'le grinned again, and then grew serious again as he turned to Shepard.

"I was sorry to hear about Earth. Anderson chose to stay behind, didn't he?"

Shepard pursed her lips, choking back the memories of the short-lived Battle of Vancouver, but she nodded.

"He's organizing the Resistance, while the rest of the galaxy gets its ass in gear and I collect as many ships as possible to go back and retake the planet."

Ko'le nodded gravely.

"I heard about what happened on Palavan. So… Victus is the new Primarch, huh?"

Becca smirked and leaned against the side of the hospital bed.

"Of what's left of the Hierarchy, he is. But at least he has even less patience with political bullshit than I do."

Ko'le grinned at that, and then grew thoughtful again.

"Probably wanted you to use your weight with Wrex to pull the krogan into this fight. If I had to guess, I'd say you were probably headed to Tuchanka when you got the call about all this mess."

Shepard smiled, but did not say anything to confirm or deny the theory. Ko'le cast an eye toward the door.

"I saw the guards at the door. Am I a prisoner here? I know the Council will be out for blood."

Shepard shook her head.

"Not after that transmission you sent out. Most of the Conclave troops stopped fighting almost immediately. Most of the fleet, too."

"Petrovsky?" Ko'le asked. "Javik? Leng?"

Another shake of the head. "Gone, though nobody quite knows where. According to the Presidium feeds, all cameras went offline twenty minutes after your broadcast; about the same time that somebody activated the Conduit."

"Shit. I thought the Conduit was taken offline."

"So did everybody else," agreed Shepard. "But there it is."

"We think they made it off-world to Ilos," Liara added. "But the Citadel is so vast, and everything's so disorganized right now, they could have slipped down to one of the Wards and be hiding right under our very noses, for all we know."

Ko'le shook his head, the fiber-optic cables rustling with a distinctly odd sound. "No, they'll head towards the Quarian Confederacy. They're preparing a war-fleet against the Geth. They're also now one of the only loyalists on the Conclave Circle."

He paused, a thousand thoughts running behind his eyes before he corralled them and focused back on the two women in the room.

"And the fleet? Gone back to Kahje, I expect."

Shepard sighed.

"No, they're still here."

That brought a furrow to the Neanderthal's considerable eyebrows.

"Really? I wouldn't have thought the Council would have allowed that, especially when the _Destiny Ascension_ got back."

"You'd be right about that," Liara agreed, " _if_ the entire Eclipse Golden fleet hadn't come through the relay at the same time."

"Double Shit."

"You said it," Shepard answered, "Especially since _somebody_ broke Jona Sederis out of prison, and she's nowhere to be found, either."

Ko'le's eyes widened in alarm and almost-fear.

"What? When? How?"

Shepard shrugged.

"You tell me."

Ko'le's puzzlement turned into an accusatory glare.

"Wait, you think _I_ had something to do with that?"

"You're the one cozying up with her daughters."

Ko'le rolled his eyes, an action that caused the cables on his head to rattle.

"Shepard... they're helping me only _because_ you and I locked her up. Father below, she's so batshit insane, she makes Benezia look like Mother of the Year. Do you think I'd risk _any_ of that by helping her escape?"

Shepard nodded again, but Ko'le continued:

"C-Sec was chaos during the battle, who knows what went on? Or alternatively, if you knew the jig was up and just wanted to cause as much galactic chaos as you could, who would _you_ release from prison?"

"The former headmistress of Eclipse," Shepard agreed in a low voice.

Ko'le sank back into the pillows, apparently content that suspicion no longer rested on _just_ him.

"So what else happened after I single-handedly saved all of your asses?"

Shepard glared at him, but a smile was on her face, and she had to work hard not to chuckle.

"You mean after you decided to take a nap and let us do all the hard work, as usual?"

"Hey now, I got stabbed!"

Ko'le's joking smile died on his lips, as if he suddenly worked out what he'd just said. His face grew grim, then back to a deadpan seriousness.

"So… Ash and Vega, huh?"

Liara nodded almost imperceptibly, while Shepard just cocked her head.

"How did you know…? And _please_ don't say that you could _smell him_ on her or any such shit."

The ex-Imperator allowed himself a chuckle at Shepard's obvious discomfort.

"I see you talked to Jack and Miranda."

Liara grinned.

"Jack thought it was hilarious, while Miranda was… slightly mortified."

"That sounds about right," Ko'le smirked, then reached over to throw the sheet off of his legs. "Well, can't stay in bed all day…"

Liara snapped to her feet, and locked the wounded Neanderthal in a biotic stasis.

"You _will_ if you know what's good for you," she objected with a voice that _reminded_ Shepard eerily like Benezia, at least from the memories Liara had shared with her of her mother scolding a baby Liara.

A black biotic field swirled around the patient, and the blue biotic field was peeled off like a snake's skin.

"Liara, Rebecca," Ko'le insisted, "I have _two_ fleets in orbit, one of whom I will have to inform that their insane mother is back and no doubt out for blood. I have criminals and cultists to corral, a civil war to end, and a galaxy to save."

"All of which can wait another twelve hours," Dr. Michel stated matter-of-factly as she entered the room. Ko'le's eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then smiled.

"Chloe Michel," he observed, smiling at the human woman, who returned the gesture.

"Good to see you again, 'Kevin Sword'," she greeted, and Ko'le seemed to flush.

"Recommend following doctor's orders, Seneschal," Mordin added, following the doctor into the room. "Would hate to tranquilize you by force. Actually, might enjoy. _You_ would hate."

If Ko'le was surprised to see Dr. Michel, he was flabbergasted by the salarian's appearance.

"You're _alive_ ," he almost whispered, his face growing pale as he sank back on the bed. He stared at the former STG medico for a moment, then seemed to remember himself. "I thought for sure Shepard would have shot you by now, if only to put an end to the Gilbert and Sullivan serenades."

"As Normandy's new doctor, I have instituted a new culture-enrichment regimen as part of the ship's mental well-being," Mordin jibed right back, the smile _just behind_ the entirely serious expression that Shepard recognized as the doctor's joking face. "Might add classical salarian opera to the ship's onboard PA system. Good for the soul."

"After… the mission," Shepard explained, chuckling at the pair's exchange, "the _Normandy_ was short a medic. I offered, and Mordin stayed."

"And we've been lucky to have him," Liara added, smiling at Mordin, who nodded graciously.

"Was glad of the opportunity to work with professionals again," he replied modestly. "Reminds me of STG work. Less politics though. Less _cloacae_ to deal with."

"Speaking of less politics," Chloe cut in, "I'm afraid I must insist on my patient being allowed to rest. No arguments will be tolerated," she admonished when Ko'le opened his mouth to object. "Everyone out, now."

Shepard grunted as she got back to her feet, Liara turning from where she was kneeling by the bed.

"I know a lot of _your_ people were anxious for an update," Rebecca said, putting a gloved hand on the foot of the bed. "There'll probably be a crowd to meet you when you get out of here, not counting the reporters."

Ko'le rolled his eyes in exasperation. _"Please tell me_ you're joking."

Dr. Michel sighed as well. "We've told them you were being held in the VIP ward six stories above us. So far, that's served to divert most of the paparazzi."

"Appreciate it, doctor," Ko'le nodded. "See you soon, Shepard."

"Count on it," Rebecca smiled, and then the door closed behind them. Then she turned to her two companions. "Thoughts?"

"Still running tests on foreign implants," Mordin reported. "Still unsure as to most of their purposes. But if Leviathan programming skills equal medical skills, can easily understand how Reapers turned rogue. Brilliant in technological scope and advancement, but inelegant work. Hasty. Rushed. Stitched body back together, circumvented damaged organs, then thrust him back into the battle. Travesty. Unconscionable."

"Mentally, he's also a wreck," Liara confirmed sadly. "There was only the momentary meld, the typical asari greeting, but underneath his excitement and joy to see us was… brokenness. Darkness. And did you notice how his other hand was tapping the whole time we were in there?"

Mordin nodded.

"Indeed. Could be sign of anxiety, post-traumatic stress, even possible nerve damage."

"I did notice that," Shepard mused, "But why does it bother me so much?"

"Never easy to see a comrade injured or after such extensive reconstructive surgery," offered Mordin. "Might be a psychological reaction, given your own reconstruction at the hands of the Conclave."

No," Shepard shook her head, "There was something else… Liara, can you get the recording of when we were in the room from the hospital cameras?"

Her lover gave her a look that clearly stated that she could, almost rolling her eyes as she brought up her Omni-Tool and within a few hasty gestures, the video in question was replaying on Shepard's wrist. Shepard muted the audio and zoomed in on Ko'le's left hand: the one that had been tapping on the hospital bed.

"There," she said, after fast-forwarding and rewinding the video a few time. "There's a repeating pattern to his tapping. See?"

A few relays of the footage confirmed her words, the index finger of the right hand scratching and tapping the side of the hospital bed in a definite pattern.

"Some of kind of code," agreed the former STG agent, with the human Spectre and Shadow Broker nodding. "Concerned hospital room may be bugged?"

"Or it's something he wanted _only us_ to know," said Shepard. "We may need to pull Glyph or EDI into this: get them to process it against any Conclave, Citadel, or, damn, Prothean codes that may be in their databanks."

Liara nodded.

"Agreed."

* * *

 ***KO'LE POV***

After Shepard and Liara had left, I leaned back into the comfort of the foam pillow beneath my head, sleep beckoning in the distance. However, after a short time, I pushed myself upright, bringing my right wrist across, activating my Omni-Tool. After a short period, the figure of a turian officer appeared on my vid-screen.

"Yes, who is- OH, sir!" Auncel snapped to attention, saluting. "Pardon me, your call did not come through the official channels, _Imperator!_ "

I shook my head reprovingly.

"Not yet, ensign: I'll wait for an official vote by the Circle, and we're still one representative short. And I didn't have time for official channels, I'm afraid," I explained simply, "Back-track my Omni-Tool's location, and have Major D'len and the senior officers of the fleet join me here at Huerta Memorial."

"That… could be a problem, sir," Auncel responded, clearly uncomfortable with telling a superior that his order could not be followed. "The Citadel has insisted… well, more like _informed_ all Conclave and Eclipse ships that any inbound shuttles _will_ be fired upon. We're holding position here… umm… until we get _you_ back, sir."

"I see," I nodded, slightly less-than-happy at being used by the Council as some kind of bargaining chip, or at the very least, a hostage. "Very well, then, ensign, relay a general order to the senior command staff to assemble on the _Agamemnon_ 's Comm Room, and then call me to patch me into the conference."

Auncel looked remarkably relieved at my amendment to my command, and saluted crisply.

"Your will… General."

I closed the Omni-Tool and took a deep breath.

I'm not positive if I feel asleep or if the Keepers had cloaking devices, but I _blinked_ , and a Keeper was suddenly at the foot of my bed, looking at me with a disinterested and completely neutral expression. But it walked over and extended its upper hands toward me, palms up. I placed my own palms down on top of them.

 _ORDAINED._

 _I salute the Keepers of the Citadel, faithful servants of the First Masters._

 _THE ASARI, TURIAN, HUMAN, AND SALARIAN REPRESENTATIVE SIT IN COUNCIL AGAIN. THEY PONDER THY FREEDOM, AND DEBATE IF THOU ART DANGEROUS. SHALL WE BEAR THEE FROM THIS PLACE, TO A PLACE WHERE THOU MIGHT REJOIN THY FRIENDS?_

I smiled at the goodwill behind the question, but shook my head in answer.

 _Nay, friends. I have comrades yet to defend me, and trust in the strength of word and will to see me to my fleet. But one thing thou mayest do for me?_

NAME IT, ORDAINED.

 _Disable all listening and monitoring devices in this room. Re-play the camera for the security feed in the office of the Citadel Security. I would meet with mine captains, and have none to disturb or overhear._

The lower arms of the Keeper folded across its chest.

TO HEAR IS TO OBEY, ORDAINED. IT SHALL BE AS THOU HAST DECREED.

Then the connection was broken, and the Keeper bent low, disappearing into a vent that anyone would have sworn a kitten would not have fit through.

 _Well, that's disturbing. Gonna have to scrub my mind clear of that image…_

The door to my room opened and then closed, with no one in sight.

Well, in _normal_ sight.

"Hello, Morinth," I said to a light haze in the corner of the room. The Ardat-Yakshi de-cloaked.

"You take all the fun out of this thing," she pouted, pulling up a stool for her beside the bed.

"How did you even get in here? Auncel said the Citadel was locking itself down."

She smirked and held up her hands, palms up.

"I never left. I'm clever that way."

"And don't I know it. So what have you been doing since you landed? I mean _other than_ breaking Jona Sederis out of jail."

Morinth stiffened, the snide remark on her lips suddenly forgotten. She closed her eyes and her fists, then looked back up at me.

"Aria's orders," she said slowly. "She cornered me while we were still on Omega. Made Sederis' release a special condition of her involvement."

"And you decided to do it when you had multiple teams of Nightsisters, and C-Sec was in pandemonium?"

She nodded.

"No better time, I thought."

Her gaze lowered to the floor.

"You're angry."

"No," I said, too quickly. "Well… not really. I imagine that's why the Eclipse fleet also showed up?"

Morinth gave me a mirthless grin. "Apparently Jona is the only one able to get those two bitches to _really_ work together. But for now, they've got her fully sedated, and rotating _teams_ of mind healers and mendicants."

I sighed. "Trying to undo nearly a _year's worth_ of damage caused by untreated paranoia and madness. But why didn't anyone _tell_ me?"

Morinth's eyes met mine.

"You _know_ why."

I nodded sullenly. My… _transformation_ made everyone wary of what they told me, and what I did… and what I said.

 _Probably with good reason._

 **It's still annoying.**

"Jona saw your face on Illium," I realized. "And she knows you from your infiltration into the Eclipse. She'll come after you, now. If not now, then later."

Morinth shrugged.

"Gee, _another_ person trying to kill me? What else is new? Besides, she didn't even know her own _daughter_ when they brought her back on the _Sash of Fire_. I'll take my chances on her even remembering who I am. And if she does, I'll deal with it. I'm not alone anymore, after all."

I chuckled at that.

"No, you most certainly are not, are you? How is that going, by the way? Outside of the monastery…"

"…You're afraid of a rash of empty-headed victims?" Morinth finished. "No. Not yet, anyway. The older sisters and I have been keeping the younger and more wild ones in check. Survival through anonymity, that sort of thing. I have no doubt I'll need to kill a few of them before the rest of them get the picture. Call it… training to pick their targets _selectively_."

"Well, then," I rolled my eyes, "I'll take what I can get I suppose. Very good then."

Just then, my Omni-Tool _beeped_ , Auncel sending me the signal that the others were ready.

"Let's connect with the others, shall we?"

At a press of a button, four other figures joined us holographically:

Ithiri – Chairwoman of the Eclipse Private Mercenary Group,

Conclave General Randall Ezno,

Hanar Captain Oroka,

Captain Renin of the _Agamemnon_ ,

Nakmor Chell of _Nakmor's Fury_ ,

And a uniformed vorcha I recognized as Kryt – Sergeant Major (and now commander) of the 1st Heshtok Irregulars. He had been one of Pyke's protégés, and seeing him here brought another pang of loss at the absence of my old friend.

"Gentlemen, ladies," I nodded around the room. "These truly are interesting times we live in."

"Sir," Ezno saluted, his cybernetic implants along his cheeks glowing, "If the Council desires punishment or retribution, I respectfully submit myself in lieu of the soldiers under my command. The consequences of the actions of soldiers must fall upon the heads of their officers."

"Not so, General," objected Oroka, the hanar stepping forward, "Herald, General Ezno refused to command the attack upon the Citadel, and was relieved of his position by Imperator Petrovsky. Lt. Lewis and his party freed him from the brig of the _Hira_. His orders to the ground troops to stand down averted much bloodshed and death."

I turned back to the human.

"Is that true, Ezno?"

Ezno looked decidedly uncomfortable, but nodded.

"My men and I were told we were launching a new offensive in the Terminus Systems, sir. I have no qualms fighting pir…. _mercenaries_ , sir," he said, giving Ithiri a long sideways glance. "But launching a surprise attack against the seat of the Galactic Council… that's not what I signed up for, sir."

I had raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Oleg and Javik's condemnation is a glowing recommendation at the present moment, General. Your request is denied: you will resume command of your troops, and we'll do our best to get them back into the _real_ war: against the Reapers."

Oroka and I had worked together before, in the early days of the Conclave, so introductions were not necessary there, though I made a mental note to reconnect with him on a personal level once we had returned to Skyhold.

Sergeant-Major Kryt snapped to attention and delivered a smart, Pyke-style salute, palm turned outwards.

"SAH!" he croaked, "Jury chuffed to zee ya, wot-wot? 1st Heshtok gone to spare when Pyke gone, and you, ZUR!"

"Sergeant-Major," I returned the salute, though not having any clue what the rest of the sentence even meant. It was like someone was trying to do their best impression of the 1st Heshtok's former commandant… with a buzzsaw. "What is the state of the 1st Heshtok? Are they in fighting condition?"

"INDEEDZY-ZO, ZUR! Rozzers conked few in argy-bargy, but wheeze gonna queer Reaper's pitch, 'nd no mistake, pip-pip! Seven companies ready, and few odds'n'sods, ZUR!"

 _Ok. I understood the 'Seven companies ready' part…_

 **Damn. I was hoping it was an Earth thing.**

 _Not like any Earth-speech I ever heard._

"Very good, Sergeant-Major," I said aloud. "Bivouac your men in the _Virago_. Have them ready for quick action by the time we get to Skyhold Station."

"ZAH!" came the salute again, and then the vorcha commander vanished. As soon as he did, Ezno broke out into a groan, and clapped a hand to his temples. Much to my surprise, Oroka did the same with one of his tentacles, both of them exuding the aura of soldiers who were fast reaching the end of their patience.

"Will someone please….?" Morinth asked, a look of unmasked confusion on her face.

"With the death of Sergeant-Major Pyke," Oroka explained, "he has ascended to near-god status by the vorcha who hold him to venerated memory. Hence, they have attempted to copy his pattern of speech and dress."

" _BADLY_ copied," groaned Ezno. "I feel like I'm lost in lower Hackney every time I have to deal with them. It's 'pip-pip' and 'wot-wot' constantly with them, these days."

The other non-humans in the room had expressions that ranged from amused to confused. I moved onto other topics, arranging for the units or commanders with more questionable loyalties be shifted around, so as to be given the least opportunities to switch sides again, and to minimize the damages if it were to happen. With the individual commanders given their instructions and tasks, soon only Ithiri Sederis and I were left in the conversation.

"So… have they given you a timetable for your release?" the Chairwoman of the Eclipse asked.

I smiled and shook my head.

"I feel strongly that the length of my hospital stay will be determined by what is politically expedient rather than medically necessary," I stated with a slight shrug.

That earned me a smile from the eldest Sederis daughter, but she held back any chuckle, instead focusing on the pertinent facts.

"I can… arrange for some of our contacts on the Citadel to assist in expediting your release," she suggested tactfully.

"Thank you, but no," I replied as graciously as I could. "The Citadel is in chaos now, but I am working on my own release. Tensions are high enough as it is, and the last thing we want right now is for a Council Spectre to demand entry onto your ships to look for any… escaped prisoners."

Ithiri made no discernable reaction, save for the slightest inclination of the head.

"The departure of the Golden Fleet might also serve to deescalate the situation," she added thoughtfully, as if this idea was occurring to her for the first time. 'Very well, Ko'le: I will inform Councilor Tevos that, now that the crisis has been averted thanks to your actions, the Golden Fleet will be leaving the system, in a sign of good faith."

I chuckled, "She'll probably be stumbling over herself in gratitude. See if you can get some concessions out of her at the same time. Maybe get her to support those hags on Thessia actually getting their blue asses in gear and joining the rest of us in this war."

Ithiri shot me a "Does it look I was born yesterday?" look, but then brought her hand up in the Eclipse salute. I returned the gesture, then cut the connection.

"So then," Morinth said from the corner where she had planted herself once the 'boring' stuff started, "How do we get you out of here?"

"Oh, that's simple," I answered. "Dr. Michel is about to come through that door and escort us to the roof, where we'll take the aircar there to our compound."

Morinth looked doubtful, but then rolled her shoulders. "I'll get Kolyat, then. He's been here talking with his dad."

I sucked in a breath. _Thane._

"Don't hurry about it. Meet us on the roof in one hour. Those two… have quite a bit to talk about. And not a lot of time left."

Morinth nodded understandingly, then engaged her cloak again, her slender figure opening the door and slipping out between the guards, one of whom looked into the room when the door opened and closed mysteriously.

"Sorry," I apologized waving a hand. "Hit the wrong button this bed."

That seemed to satisfy him, as he nodded and resumed his post as the door closed again.

I spent the rest of the hour reading the various reports I had requested from the members of my fleet, and relaying replies and counter-orders as needed. Javik and Petrovsky had tried to take the heavy units and smash their way into C-Sec.

 _Typical Javik. He is a hammer, and all problems are simply nails_.

The plan had almost worked, too, except that in the tight confines of C-Sec and the Presidium, the heavies had been outmaneuvered and easily flanked by the arrival of Shepard and the _Normandy_ squad. I went through the casualties reports with a heavy heart, shaking my head at the needless and pointless deaths.

When the hour was almost up, the door opened, and Dr. Michel entered, holding a data-pad in her hands.

"Are you ready to go, Ordained?" she asked in a low tone.

I furrowed my eyebrow.

"Raise the voice half an octave, and don't speak so quickly. Her original language is Terran French: it rolls off the tongue, rather than rattles off it."

The figure of the doctor nodded once, then gestured towards the door.

"Shall we go?" came the question, my suggested modifications to the voice implemented. I winced as pain shot through the injured leg as I gingerly put weight on the offending limb.

"You bring them?"

The figure of Dr. Michel reached a hand back, and produced two syringes, both of which I uncapped and plunged into my thigh. The stims wouldn't last long, but it would serve to get me to the roof.

"Ok. Let's go."

When we emerged from the room, it took a few seconds for the C-Sec officers on guard to even process what was happening.

"Doctor! Dr. Michel!" the turian blurted, sprinting a few steps to catch up, his human partner in tow.

"Yes, officer?"

The turian looked positively uncomfortable, bordering on sheepish as he blocked our path.

"Acting Executor Chellick's order's, ma'am: the subject is not to leave the building."

"Oh, goodness, no, officer," Dr. Michel stated, stepping forward and placing a hand on the detective's chest, a gesture that clearly made the young turian _very_ uncomfortable. "I'm just accompanying him for a walk on the roof veranda. Exercise for the wounded limb, you understand."

The turian cast furtive glances between his partner, the human doctor, and to me.

"We'll… we'll have to accompany you then, ma'am."

"That would _lovely_ ," came the answer, with a brilliant smile to match. "Shall we?"

The four of us went up the lift to the roof gardens of Huerta Memorial.

"Hey, Teras? What's that aircar doing in the ambulance landing pad?" the human officer asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Maybe someone rushing a wounded friend or family member to Casualty?" suggested Dr. Michel.

Teras slowly drew his sidearm, his mandibles working furiously.

"Stay back, doc," he said, putting out an arm to push Dr. Michel behind him. "You never know…"

At that moment, my biotics flared, flinging both men forward onto their faces, before knocking them hard against the wall. I pulled both of their weapons to me, turning to face Dr. Michel, whose entire right arm had morphed into a blade, and had only failed to impale the turian officer because of my intervention.

"There is _no need to kill_ anybody," I hissed as the face and form of the human doctor began to shift and morph.

"It was the simplest solution," Cheshire shrugged, the sultry French tones of Dr. Michel fading back into his harsh synthetic ones. "They will raise the alarm."

"By which time we will be long gone," I insisted, getting into the passenger side of the aircar. "Come on, drive."

* * *

* **CSV NORMANDY*  
** **IN ORBIT ABOVE CITADEL**

"But WHY would he break out of the hospital and just _leave_?" EDI asked, staring at the footage of the aircar taking off from the hospital platform.

"I don't know," confessed Shepard, "A single shuttle was recorded by Citadel Control taking off from _somewhere_ in the Wards, and rejoining the Conclave fleet. Right before they headed out towards the Relay."

"He's gone… again," EDI said in a low voice, her chin dipping down and her eyes closing. "Didn't even say 'hello.'"

Liara stepped up on the other side of the holographic image.

"You know what he said at Grissom Academy," she offered consolingly. "That he loved you."

EDI nodded.

"But why wouldn't he say it in _person!?"_

Shepard looked over to Joker. Ever since the two of them were… whatever the hell they were, he was usually the one to whom she had come with her emotional issues. He knew her better than any of the rest of them, except maybe Tali.

"He's… broken, EDI," the pilot said gently. "Who knows what the Leviathans did to him, or even if it _was_ the Leviathans that did it? He may just be… ashamed."

"I… I _miss_ him, Jeff."

Then suddenly the hologram faded from blue to bright yellow and her head shot up as her eyes widened.

"I have it."

"Have what?" wondered Shepard.

The footage of Ko'le's hospital room suddenly appeared, zoomed in on Ko'le tapping finger.

"I know what Dad was trying to say?"

"What is it?" Liara inquired, leaning forward slightly. "Some form of STG Bi-Code?"

"It is Terran in origin," EDI explaining, bringing up a number of other files. "A system of communication called Morse Code. Morse code is a method of transmitting text information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment, named for its inventor, Samuel Morse in 1836. It was instrumental in human communications in the 19th through the 21st Century."

"Can you translate the message?" Shepard asked, looking back and forth at the translated alphabet and the tapping finger on the video.

"Assuming the scratches are the dashes," EDI began, "And the taps are the dots, the message translates thusly:"

A transcript appeared as the finger tapped and scratched at the hospital rail:

 _L-e-v-i-a-t-h-a-n_

 _I-m-p-l-a-n-t-s_

 _l-i-s-t-e-n-i-n-g_

 _P-o-s-s-i-b-l-e_

 _C-o-n-t-r-o-l_

 _H-e-l-p_

 _M-e_

EDI glanced at the screen of Ko'le's hand tapping, then back at the up on the Normandy's main viewscreen.

"But… what does this mean?" she asked.

Joker reached out and placed a hand on her holographic shoulder.

"It explains why your dad hasn't been able to talk, babe," he said gently. "He didn't know who else might be listening."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 ***Drops Mike**

 ***picks back up**

 **Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Had** ** _kinda_** **of a reunion with Shep and Co. and a couple of revelations along the way. Now it's time for Ko'le to regroup what forces he has, and head out to gain some more allies.**

 **Tune in next week for** **Rally: A Reaper's Shroud.**

 **Write your thoughts/suggestions/constructive criticisms down below or feel free to PM me! I love hearing from you guys! It always picks me up and motivates me to write (which, to a writer, motivation is worth its weight in gold).**

 **ROCK ON, everybody!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

METALHELLSPWN, YDdraigGoch94 – I always thought Kai Leng got short-changed in the games. Hope to correct that here.

Mly92Reader – Don't worry! The rest of the crew will come into play in their own good time!

Pietersielie – Can't imagine why you would think that… :P

tamagat – Force of will, and with a little help from a few friends.

ronnambi – It is coming, not to worry.

griezz – It won't all be sob-stories and despair. The party was a great DLC to ME:3, and it would be a travesty to leave it out of my story, I strongly feel. As for what _kind of party_ it will be, who can say?

Nagato21, jamesneedham2013, BJ Hanssen, Lord Mortem, Taukaullus01 – She's a Williams, and sure and there's no doubt of that. Grief does hard and terrible things to a psyche and a soul, it does. As for the Vega situation… she thought Ko'le was dead.

Tootless is best, Dragons guard - ;)

Tergen, general-joseph-dickson, Deathknight999, jackli10345, LordSchmodder, XCOMHEAVY12– Aww, thanks! That means a lot!

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	14. Rally: A Reaper's Shroud

***SKYHOLD STATION*  
GRAZ SYSTEM  
THE PHOENIX MASSING**

I looked around the table at the faces that were gathered around the table. With Rhysan having seen the light, that made five members of the Circle present here: Din Korlack and Calyn, inseparable and bickering as ever, Shiala Konstantin, Ari'ka in his towering blue-feathered frame, and now He-Who-Speaks-For-Others, the hanar having apparently seen the light in the wake of the Citadel attack. The latter had been profuse in his apologies, which I had waved aside. Now was not the time.

"What news?"

"The Terminus fleets have withdrawn from those colonies that have declared for you, Imper… Ko'le," Ari'ka corrected himself. "The holdouts are mostly located, unsurprisingly, in the Terran Kratocracy, with Petrovsky's cronies still refusing to make peace."

"I hate that we have to dedicated forces to secure those regions _again_ ," groaned Shiala, putting a hand to her forehead. "Especially against our own soldiers."

"Why not draw forces from T'Loak or T'Ravt?" Din asked, shifting to adjust his suit's ventilators. "Let them have a share of the fighting."

"Admonishingly: because there would be no guarantee that either would withdraw their forces, once the battle had been won," Calyn answered. "With guarded dread: We must be very careful that our cooperation does not leave us open to being used by the warlords as a bid to expand their power and influence."

Heads nodded all around the table. The fact that Aria and the rest of the Terminus warlords were on our side did not make anyone feel any safer. This was not a table of fools or hopeless optimists.

"I have sent our best commando teams into deep space," the Raloi representative reported, "They have taken our new _Goshawk_ -class scout ships and are searching for the location of this… 'Crucible.'"

Shiala leaned forward, hands clasped in a decidedly asari manner.

"I am going to suggest something, and I know this will generate debate, but the fact remains that our entire way of life is under attack. At any moment, one or more of the members of this Circle could be killed…"

"Or worse, turned," Rhysan interjected, glowing bright purple at the statement.

"Just so," she said, with a slight bow of her head, "We need a central leader, a unified front to present to the rest of the galaxy."

The way everyone turned to look at me, it didn't take a genius to know where there was going.

"No."

Din Korlack raised a hand to try and stop my objection.

"Ko'le..."

"I will _not_ be the dictator of this body," I continued, unabated. "That will only confirm to the rest of the galaxy what Petrovsky has been telling them: that I'm here only to seize power."

Calyn shifted his weight in the elcor equivalent of a shrug.

"With respectful contradiction: we are in the midst of a war of survival. Propriety is not high on the list of our concerns at this moment."

"Expediency alone dictates that the chain of command be as clear," Ari'ka nodded in agreement.

I clenched my massive hands into fists, fighting the urge to run them through my "hair" in frustration.

"I will lead the military forces, as I've already been doing," I admitted. "But I will _not_ be Emperor, President, or Chancellor, or whatever other title you can dream up. We are a _Conclave_ , dammit. It's _right there_ in the name!"

There was a moment of silence.

"However… there is a truth in your word," I conceded. "Each of you should ensure you have contingency plans drawn up, in case of possible decapitation strikes by the Reaper forces. Father and Mother forbid, but it far better to plan for the worst rather than just hope for the best."

There were murmurs of agreement around the table. A few other topics were brought up and addressed in their turn, mostly concerning preparations for the war, and the current state of the Conclave Civil War. Eventually, the meeting was adjourned, and with an exhausted flip of a switch, I was transferred to _another_ holographic conference, this one made up of the current commanders of the Conclave forces on our side. Looking around the much more crowded holo-meeting, I smiled and nodded to a few of the faces:

General Septimus Oraka

General Randall Ezno

General Helena Blake, CEO of the reestablished Immortals Private Military Group (formerly known as the 10th Battle Group).

Recently-promoted Admiral Oroka (Soul Name: He-Who-Stands-In-Awe-of-the-Fallen-Towers)

Major Yara D'len of the Voidwalker clan (a.k.a. Morinth).

Commander Cheshire of the Reawakened Collective Fleet

Color-Sergeant Kryt of the 1st Heshtok Irregulars

Thax Voraks, representing a large portion of our strength on Illium.

Captain Nakmor Chell of the _Nakmor's Fury_.

The rest were regional governors, militia commanders, and other assortments of the Conclave forces who had answered my call. A disturbing number of commanders had elected to essentially stand neutral in this little conflict, quoting my suspected indoctrination and Petrovsky's condemnation by the Circle as reasons not to get involved with either side. According to them, they were awaiting orders from a unified Conclave Circle.

 **Cowards.**

 _Can't really blame them, Beast. They'll wait to see where the chips fall, and they want to save their forces to garrison their sectors of space against Reaper attack. Which is precisely what we would have ordered most of them to do, anyway. If anything, it secures vast sectors of space from Aria's interference and Reaper incursions alike._

 **It does complicate troop movements and resupply, however.**

 _True. But it also lets us focus on the main issues. Like Ilos_.

According to Cheshire's Collector scout ships, the Quarian fleet was no longer at Ilos. The 5th Battle Group (what remained of the Quarian Fleet after their resettlement, with a few new additions since) had activated the Mu Relay, bound for the Perseus Veil.

But their movement had not gone unnoticed. Intel reports shared by Vashon Chaz and Sirena Olm and their contacts in the Dark Rim had shown that nearly ever relay in Geth Space had _tripled_ its average number of activations: the geth were racing to bring their fleets back to defend Rannoch.

As I heard the various reports of troop strengths, ship numbers, and weapon capabilities, a theme began to emerge very quickly: the age-old story of "Good, but not enough." The 5th Battle Group was the largest and strongest of the Conclave fleets. Unless I wanted to strip every colony of ours bare (and I was no Oleg Petrovsky), I simply didn't have the numbers to confront them in open battle.

 **The Geth could join with us. With our combined forces, we could talk them down.**

 _You mean the same geth that have no doubt by now entered into the Devil's Bargain with the Reapers? Those geth?_

 **Then join with the quarians to help fight the geth. We can arrive as reinforcements to secure Rannoch for the quarians, and in so doing, secure their loyalty at the same time.**

 _You mean the same quarians who might be commanded BY Javik or Oleg PERSONALLY_?

 **Damn.**

 _Yeah, it's shit._

The discussions on troop deployments were cut short by the doors being thrown open the two hapless guards stumbling back on the asses. Thax Klaang stepped forward as I lifted a hand to stand the startled guards (and their rifles) down.

"Forgive the intrusion," rumbled the special Krogan Envoy of the Conclave, "but I have grave news from my contacts on Tuchanka."

The krogan in the room seemed to stand a little straighter.

"A full Reaper fleet has come out of FTL at the Relay. The turian orbital stations have been taken out."

"And thanks to that damned treaty, we have no fleet of our own," Nakmor Chell growled, grinding her teeth together.

"Sir," General Septimus insisted, "We must answer this invasion of the DMZ."

"No time," Ezno countered. "The quarians are invading Rannoch _now._ Surely the krogan will be able to hold them off long enough for us to deal with them first, and then we can regroup and come to their aid?"

This launched a new round of debates around the table.

"ENOUGH!"

Silence fell across the room as all eyes turned to me. I made eye contact with each and every one of my command staff before I announced my decision:

"We must move on Tuchanka. If the krogan fall, the turians are not far behind them. Then once the Reapers finish off Earth…"

"…Thessia will be next," Morinth finished. I shot her a look showing how little I appreciated being interrupted, but nodded.

"Then the Reapers will be able to bring not only _their_ might, but the full weight of the indoctrinated masses of the Core Worlds against us. Klaang, send word to the rest of the krogan. We're on our way. The rest of you: your fleets will be ready be hit the relay within the next hour, or you will lose your share of the battle's glory!"

There was a murmur of amused assent, and the commanders cut the connection in order to put their own fleets or soldiers in order. I walked back over to my chair, sinking down with an exhausted sigh.

 **So… Tuchanka, here we come.**

* * *

 ***TUCHANKA*  
ARALAKH SYSTEM  
KROGAN DMZ**

The hot blast of wind and the acrid smell of Tuchanka hit me as soon as the door of the shuttle opened. Taking a second to recollect my bearings, I stood and stepped onto the krogan homeworld, squinting my eyes against the harsh sunlight.

"You made it!"

The bellow announced the arrival of a massive krogan who pulled me into massive hug and then a vice-grip to my wrist.

"Good to see, Wrex," I smiled, and I truly meant it.

"I'm surprised you got through the Reapers with just one ship."

"The blockade isn't properly set up yet," I clarified, "And there's not a ship in the 'verse can catch the Iswanee when she shows her heels. Except maybe the Normandy, and even then she'd need a head start."

Wrex smiled, but then grew serious.

"You look well for dead, by the way."

"Thanks," I answered, tossing my head to rattle my cyber-dreads. "The Leviathans are terrible barbers, by the way. Went in for a haircut and came out with this."

Wrex chuckled.

"What's the situation?" I asked as we walked through Fortress Urdnot.

"I'll admit," Wrex answered, shaking his head, "When you brought those teams to retrofit and restore those ancient cannons two years ago, I thought you were paranoid and a little crazy."

"And now?"

"Now? They're the only things keeping those bastards at bay from the Kelphic Valley. The Reapers can't land troops or even the massive ships without being caught in the guns' crossfire."

I crossed my arms and leaned back to look at the krogan chieftain. "Well, I for one am grateful for the krogan belief 'There's always a bigger gun to be made.'"

"Well, another belief of ours that's just a pain the ass is, 'we're better than everybody else.'" Wrex suddenly grew quiet and pensive. "There's been a Moot called at the Sacred Place. All the clans will be there, not just mine and not just Ganar's."

I blinked as I took in his words.

"Brother," I said hesitantly, "The last meeting there ended… badly."

"And don't I know it," Wrex nodded, "But the main change here is that _both_ of the female clans will also be there. Nobody who doesn't want to be varren bait will dare bring a gun to _this_ meeting."

I nodded. That might actually work. The one thing that all krogan held sacred, even over their own grudges and blood feuds, was a fertile female.

"So even Ganar Yulaz has confirmed that he will come?" I asked.

Wrex shot me a strange look before understanding crossed his face.

"Oh, yeah, you've been gone for seven months: Ganar Yulaz is dead."

 _In the quiet words of the Virgin Mary…_

"Come again?"

"Poisoned by that _chakka_ of a son of his: Iraz. Now he leads what remains of the Blood Pack as the heir to the God-Emperor of the Krogan, a title which is not as ridiculous as I would like. Yulaz's contentment with a stalemate led many to question his rule. His death at the hand of his son has only strengthened their position, as the _dutiful_ son ensuring his own father's honor, even against himself."

"Damn," I answered, truly taken aback for a moment. "That will…complicate things."

"But in answer to your question," Wrex continued, "Yes, he'll be there. Along with the rest of his cronies. Weyrloc Alia is the shaman of the Blood Pack female clan. She and Bakara are the ones who have called the Moot." He chuckled, shaking his head. "They have made it abundantly clear that any warchief who does _not_ attend will lose mating privileges for his clan."

Now it was my turn to chuckle. "I bet _that_ got everyone's attention."

"You could say that," Wrex now guffawed. "I had messengers tripping over themselves to get here with promises to attend. But more of that on the way. Come on, we're late to leave."

I followed the giant krogan through the maze of hallways and tunnels, noting the respectful nods and even outright bows that the other krogan directed at him, and by proxy, towards me as well. Clan Urdnot's fortress had grown even since the last time I saw it. At last we came to a hangar where a convoy of _tomkah_ s sat, the giant machines turning over their engines as we entered. The rumble was not unlike that of an earthquake.

"You ride up front with me," Wrex insisted, and I offered no objection. When we approached the lead vehicle, the rear ramp opened, and two robed figures stepped forward.

 _The Urdnot Shaman. And Urdnot Bakara_.

"Urdnot Wrex," the female shaman spoke, her erudite voice rising above the growing crowd. "We journey to the Standing Stones, the sacred heart of Tuchanka!"

She held out something that looked like a drinking horn (or the krogan-sized version of one).

"DRINK, and let our journey be blessed by those who came before, whose spirits guard the stones to this day."

Wrex took the offered drinking horn and quaffed its contents, draining the entire thing in a single go. However, after he handed the drinking horn back and moved towards the _tomkah_ , the male shaman moved to stand in his way, and his walking stick was pointed directly at me.

"CLAN Leader," boomed the nameless shaman, "Who is this off-worlder, this _outsider_ , that you would take to our people's most sacred Hollow?"

Wrex growled, but made no move to shove the old krogan out of the way.

"HE is Ko'le Voidlwalker," he answered, also raising his voice to inform the crowd as much as the shaman. "And he is _my_ guest… and my friend."

"Friend or no, guest or no," replied the Shaman, "None may enter the Sacred Hollow without Guest-Right of the Clan as a whole."

He stepped around the red-armored warlord, coming to a booming stop in front of me.

"Tell me, _offworlder_ : WHO ARE YOU to claim the _guesting_ of Clan Urdnot?"

I took a deep breath.

 _Who am I…?_

 **Tuchanka is not the place for modesty, Kevin.**

"I am the slayer of Raik Vol, Master of Omega," I answered, both the impossibly ancient krogan in front of me, and the krogan that surrounded us.

"By my own hand fell Weyrloc Kalusk and Quash Hurgott. My _krantt_ has slain Hailot Wrund, Jorgal Thurak, and Gatatog Uvenk. I took the volus, the elcor, and the hanar, and forged a fighting force that drove the Blue Suns into oblivion and the Blood Pack back to the Ganar Fortress. I uplifted the Raloi, and made the Rachni and the Thorians bend the knee and submit to my authority. I brought the Law to those who had it not, and fear into the very heart of the Terminus Systems. I forged the Conclave, by sword, and steel, and soul.

I am Ko'le Voidwalker."

The shaman looked sideways at me for a moment, then cocked his head sideways and held out a hand. The drinking horn was passed to him, and he offered it to me.

"Very well, _Ko'le Voidwalker_. Clan Urdnot offers you its guesting and friendship. While you are here on Tuchanka, you are _krantt_."

I took the offered horn.

 _It's been a long time since we drank Ryncol._

 **They are watching. This no time for half-measures.**

I tossed the horn back, letting the potent liquid flow down my throat.

Even for _ryncol_ , that shit was _strong_. It burned and threatened to cut off my own supply of oxygen, but I could not show weakness. I finished off probably an entire bottle's worth of the stuff and handed the horn back, summoning every ounce of my will not to cough or choke. The shaman nodded approvingly, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face as he no doubt observed the struggle on my face. Wrex also looked equal parts impressed and amused.

The long, shaking, rumbling ride to the Sacred Hollows was absolutely no help to my stomach's constitution, and I was content to sit at the back and listen for a while. The Hollow reminded me a little of Stonehenge, with tall pillars dedicated to famous krogan warlords, stretching back to even before their first-contact encounter with the salarians.

It took little or _no_ time for Ganar Iraz to object to my presence. Iraz had all of his father's temper and fiery passion, and none of his gravitas or wisdom.

"Clan Ganar remembers, even if all other krogan have chosen to forget," Iraz thumped his chest in a fantastic display of grandstanding. "We _remember_ why outsiders are not to be trusted, no matter _what_ they promise!"

"SIT down, _whelp,_ " growled Wrex. "You don't remember _shit_. I have _cherkoving_ VARREN older than you. No matter how many of your father's warriors you claim, you _cannot_ claim his deeds for your own. URDNOT remembers the Wars of Expansion, and what's more, we remember what came after."

There was a rumble of agreement from many of the older krogan in the stone circle, but Ganar Iraz's lip only curled and he sneered pointedly at the Urdnot warlord.

"That just means you've been around too long, _starik_. You're old, and you're _weak!_ "

Wrex shot to his feet, his hands instinctively going to the small of his back for the shotgun that wasn't there, but he looked livid enough to tear the Ganar chieftain limb from bloody limb. More angry growls came from around the circle, and more and more krogan were standing to their feet, shoving one another back, the tension in the room stretching even unto the breaking point. Weapons or no weapons, blood was about to be shed here.

"ENOUGH!"

At the sound of the female shaman's voice, even the most hot-headed of the youngsters fells silent. All eyes turned towards Bakara, where she had risen from her seat. Her veil did nothing to mask her voice, and her eyes seemed to glow in cold fury.

"You can stay here and let old wounds fester, as krogan have always done. OR you can fight the enemy you were _born_ to destroy, and win a new future for your _children_."

Another female joined Bakara on the dais. But where Bakara was clad in a krogan shaman's robe, with a modest veil stretched across her face, this one was clad in towering armor, with a metal visor covering _her_ lower face. Carved into the visor was the visage of some kind of saber-toothed predator. Where Bakara's voice was deep and melodious, hers was warped by her helmet's vocabulator:

"I choose to _FIGHT_! Who will join me?"

 _Weyrloc Alia_.

I stepped forward, shoving two krogan aside to clear a space, and raised my voice to carry above the assembled crowd.

"I WILL!"

Wrex sprang up with a biotic-assisted agility that belied his age, standing next to the two female leaders.

"And so will I!"

Before the murmur of agreement could carry over the crowd to our side, Ganar Iraz pushed his way forward, his lips curled back in defiance.

"This is all very well, Ko'le, but you can't come from no-one-knows-where and order us as if we were members of your petty _Conclave_. We've been fighting for our territory, and that's a thing you know _nothing of_. You preferred prowling about among the stars!"

The other krogan laughed at this, and the son of Ganar Yulaz began twisting his head from side to side, holding out his arms to rile up the crowd. I took a deep breath before I made my answer.

"I'm not _ordering_ anyone, Ganar Iraz," I insisted. "I've no territory to fight for. I only want to fight the _true_ enemy. The enemy who poses a threat to _all_ krogan, everywhere! What's the use of fighting amongst yourselves?"

"Oh, if you're trying to back out, of course I've no more to say," said the young krogan with an ugly chuckle, and jeers ran through the ranks of his coterie.

 **"WILL YOU COME WITH ME IF I WIN?"**

Beast's question hung in the air for a long moment, and the joking chuckles ceased in the ring of krogan. And a red mist began to cloud my vison, Beast pushing himself forward in my Mind Palace with a vengeance and terrible _hunger_ for battle.

"Very good," said the young krogan carelessly, his youth and arrogance causing him to miss the harsh and stifling glances and nervous head-shaking on the faces of all around him in vain attempts to gain his attention and secure his silence. "If you win, I'll come."

He had no time to change his mind, for I had blitzed forward with a jet-black flare of my biotics, and my massive fingers sunk in the blubber of the young krogan's neck. Then, with another effort, I threw him back on his ass and dragged the figure of the Blood Pack's leader down the length of the sacred field, throwing biotic-fueled punches and shaking him every few steps. I felt bone and cartilage yield beneath my Leviathan-reinforced fists, and orange blood was coming from his nose in a steady fountain, covering me in sprays with every blubbering gasp for breath Iraz gave.

The red mist had now taken over my vison entirely, and I suddenly threw the bruised and bleeding krogan back amongst the throng of his supporters and cronies.

Then Beast's terrible voice roared to the krogan:

 **"HEAR ME, KROGAN!**

 **I've done my best for you these _four long years_ past!**

 **I've found you the cure to the genophage, freeing you from the tyranny of Saren!**

 **I've showed you a path to a great and prosperous future, to reclaim the glory of the ancients!**

 **But unless your heads are dragged off your silly necks you won't BELIEVE!"**

Several figures looked down at the groaning figure of their leader and back to me, growling. Knuckles and neck joints began to be cracked in loud pops that spread throughout the room until it sounded like someone was popping popcorn in the valley. I flared my biotics around my frame, and several of the krogan did the same, squaring away to face me. Beast looked from face to face, then _smiled._

 **"SO…I'm going to teach you now. LOOK OUT FOR YOURSELVES!"**

I had seen krogan fight before, several times now since arriving in this Universe.

Ko'le had been in countless battles.

Bu that never in my life – in ANY of our lives, had we seen anything like Beast's charge into that crowd. He flung himself at the biggest berserker he could find, caught him by the throat, choked him and bumped him and banged him till he grunted for mercy, and then threw him aside and attacked the next. The cyber-dreads on my head seemed to quiver, stood up with sheer, unadulterated rage, and his eyes flamed, and his teeth glistened.

 _Fuck,_ it was _splendid_ to look at.

"HANG ON, KO'LE!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Urdnot Wrex tearing past, hauling the grizzled old krogan about as though they had been halibut, and upsetting the young bachelors in all directions. Suddenly there was a roar of laughter, and the big berserker in front of me went down like a felled ox.

Wrex turned to stand beside me, orange blood dripping from his knuckles.

"I AM URDNOT WREX, and I stand with the Voidwalker!"

Beast roared in answer, and the we waded in, Wrex blowing like a locomotive, and howling with delighted laughter. Then there was another roar, and I saw Nakmor Chell gripping a young male by his recently-joined crest, pummeling his face into unrecognizable bruised flesh. This was not a fight to the death. No choking, harsh gasping as every krogan fought to the last ounce of their strength.

This was krogan politics at their very finest.

At night, just as the Northern Lights were winking and flashing through the fog, I climbed a bare rock and looked down on the scattered, torn and bleeding krogan. I had not come through the fight unscathed: Blood dripped from every surface of my armor, and not all of it was orange. My left eye was fast swelling, and a stab of pain shot down my leg every time I put weight on the hip where Ashley had stabbed me.

 **"Now,"** I managed, keeping the pain from my voice, and the wince from my face, " **I've taught you your lesson."**

"By my crest!" said Urdnot Wrex, boosting himself up stiffly, for he just as fearfully mauled as the rest of the krogan assembled. "Kalros herself could not have cut them up worse! Ko'le, my friend, I'LL fight with you."

 **"Hear you, fat _halo_ of Tuchanka! Who comes with me to spill Reaper blood!? Answer, or SHALL I TEACH YOU AGAIN**?!" I roared, and a ripple of black energy crackled around my arm.

There was a murmur like the ripple of the tide all up and down the valley. "We will come," said thousands of tired voices. "We will follow Ko'le, the Voidwalker."

Bakara and the other female clan leaders and shamans who had gathered here stood back and admired their men-folk. It had been a gorgeous fight, for the two sides fought as long as there was a krogan that dared lift up his head. Bakara sighed and shook her head, but there was a smile in her eyes, just above the veil.

"Ugh… _Men_."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hey everybody, sorry this chapter comes late: Contrary to popular rumors, I was NOT playing ME: Andromeda, I was actually laid up sick (MUCH less fun). This chapter is a bit shorter than I would like it, but I'll present the other half of the Battle of Tuchanka next week! Thanks everybody who messaged or reviewed with inquires of my health! You guys are the best!**

 **Full shout-out goes to Katkiller-V for helping beta-read portions of this chapter, and for the character Ganar Iraz. And to Rudyard Kipling, for inspiration. If you haven't already, go read _Kotick the White Seal._ In fact, read the whole _Jungle Book_ series. **

**Please leave your thoughts and your ideas, and yes, even your constructive criticisms below in the reviews! They are my bread and butter, and better than the best medicine for lifting spirits! Even for the people who may not agree with a certain point or angle I've taken in the story, it means a lot that you would take the time to leave your thoughts! And so to each of you, I say, as I have always said,**

 **YOU ROCK!**

 **Tune in next week! Rally: Hammertime.**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Dragon's guard - Here you go then. :P

Pietersielie – I'm not great at fluff, so honestly I'm legitimately scared of

Tahkaullus01, Deathknight999 – Yep, Levis being… well, themselves. But now at least Ko'le gets a vacation on sunny Tuchanka! :D :D :D

BJ Hanssen – That was tough, I agree. But I'm glad you enjoyed the Pyke-fans (can we call them Pikeys? Can we?)

griezz, jamesneedham2013, ronnabi, TheScooterOfDeath – It's true, there were a lot of things less than perfect about the Ash/Ko'le pairing. But even broken relationships still sting…

Toothless is best – Always happy to provide nightmare fuel and shipping material (in equal measure!)

METALHELLSPWN – But what is she gonna do now, and what are THEY gonna do now?

general-joseph-dickson – Maaaaybe…

Tactus501st – Glad somebody caught that reference… :P

Guest – Has it been that long, really? *looks back at chapters *Well, regardless, You do ROCK, my friend!

Jim – Thanks, man!

GamerDroid56 – Thanks for the concern, my friend! Hopefully now that I've shook off the majority of this sickness, I'll be back for a weekly update!

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always!

EE-RAH!


	15. Rally: Hammertime

* **FORTRESS URDNOT*  
** **TUCHANKA  
** **KROGAN DMZ**

"In the ruins of the Old City? Why there?"

Confused looks were shared around the table as I brought up the holo-map of my chosen battleground. I folded my arms across my chest, cracking my neck before answering.

"Because it is the closest to the Shroud, which the salarians once used to spread the genophage over the entire planet. What do you think the Reapers could do with such a device?"

Wrex nodded, trying to foresee where I was going with this.

"Alright, so we give them what they want: a pitched battle. What then?"

Bakara leaned forward, staring intently at the table, the looked up at me.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you may be more krogan than I thought, Voidwalker."

I smiled in answer.

"We summon Kalros."

Bakara nodded, confirming that my tactic _was_ in fact what she had anticipated. Wrex, on the other hand, sputtered and choked on his goblet of Ryncol. Alia reached over and pounded him on the back.

"Wha-wh-WHAT?!"

"We activate the Hammers," I continued. "We draw Kalros to the battlefield, and she will finish this battle for us."

Alia pointed at the ancient temple.

"The Hammers will not only draw Kalros. When they fall, they will bring every thresher maw within leagues to the Old City."

I shrugged.

"Perfect."

Iraz slammed a fist down on the table. His right eye was still swollen shut, but his left one glared at me with enough malice for the two of them.

"No so perfect! Those will be _my_ warriors down there. That will turn from a battlefield into a killing ground within seconds."

"Yes, a killing ground for the Reapers. Every single husk, indoctrinated, and abomination they bring onto this field will be eaten or killed."

Iraz pointed a finger at me, anger and frustration radiating from him.

"Then _you_ be in the Command Center when everything starts going to shit!"

"No."

Growls and muttered oaths began to filter through the room. I leaned forward and pointed a talon directly at the middle of the battlefield.

"I won't be in the Command Center, because Cheshire and I will be _here,_ in the heart of the Old City _._ "

The murmurs of anger turned to approval.

"Cheshire will deploy his Leviathan orbs, and we will be turning as many Reaper thralls as possible."

Wrex nodded sagely, stroking his chin.

" _That_ will get their attention, and quickly."

Ganar Iraz arched an eyebrow ridge at me.

"You're the _bait_ ," he said, slowly understanding my plan.

I drew myself up proudly.

"I am not in the habit of asking my allies to do anything I am not willing to do myself. Stay in the rear with the wounded if you wish, Ganar Iraz! I will take ALL the glory of the battlefield for myself!"

Approving roars sounded from around the room. Iraz's eye still squinted at me, but there was an underlying twinge of amusement that had not been there before.

"NOT so fast! I and my krantt will be there, Voidwalker! And we will show the galaxy how we earned the name, 'Blood Pack!'"

His goons and cronies began pounding each other on the back and head-butting one another, telling one another of how brave they would all be in the battle to come. Thax Klaang came over and stood next to me, his gigantic great-sword mounted on his back.

"Clan Thax will stand in support, Ko'le," the former blacksmith reported, pointing to the ridgeline to the south, "Our mortar teams will be there. It's no planetary cannons, but we will slow the Reaper's advance, at least."

I nodded as red dots appeared on the ridge, along with dotted lines to mark the range of their mortars exactly.

"Drot?"

Thax inhaled before answering the simple question:

"This will be a war where legends are built. They will sing battle-songs of tomorrow for a thousand years. I would not deny him his part in those songs."

I turned to Klaang, keeping my voice low:

"He isn't even old enough to feel a female's warmth. Or feel the call of the Rite."

"Those times will come. Meanwhile, can you name any place in the galaxy that would be safer than in the ranks of his kin?"

I resisted the urge to protest, but then thought better of it.

 _All children must grow up sometime._

"A safer place? Yes," I answered truthfully, "But I can think of no _better_ place for him."

I turned and offered my hand.

"May your foes be strong enough to keep you sharp, Thax Klaang."

Klaang clasped my arm in a warrior's salute.

"May your name live in glory, Ko'le Voidwalker!"

Then the big krogan turned and left the room, giving Wrex a polite nod of his head as the two passed. Wrex returned the gesture, then came up next to me.

"Tomorrow will be legendary, my friend," he chuckled, then grew serious. "Any sign of the _Normandy_ yet?"

I shook my head.

"Not yet. Nor yet of our fleet."

"She'll be here," Wrex said confidently, "She's not one to miss an epic fight like _this_."

"I'm surprised you didn't attend the Council Summit," I replied, changing the subject. "Especially considering she called and _asked_ you to attend."

Wrex waved his hand dismissively.

"I told her I couldn't get away from here. My place is with my people, not listening to turians beg me to shed krogan blood to save their asses again."

 _Gonna have to handle this next part VERY carefully_.

"Well, if you _were_ to put krogan boots on Palavan, you could potentially write your own check for your people, Wrex."

"You and Shepard both, huh?" chuckled Wrex. He stroked his chin again, musing thoughtfully.

"I suppose I _could_ ask for some of our old territory back."

"Not like the turians are doing anything with those planets anyway," I agreed. "Offer support to the Conclave as well, as you could very well see another Krogan Empire."

Wrex guffawed at that, then his eyebrow ridges furrowed.

"If I have achieved anything, it's only because of Virmire."

 ** _Virmire…_**

"Kaiden," I nodded, lost in nostalgia for a moment. "Father Below, I miss him."

"So do I. Had a quad, that human. Two of the newest pups are named after him. His name will be spoken at the final call. Because of Virmire… my people have a future again. Free of any salarian or outsider promises."

The Urdnot clan leader turned back to face me.

"You could've held my people hostage, Ko'le, you know that? Offer a cure, and there wouldn't be a single clan who wouldn't have done what you said. You could've forced us all into your Conclave. Given it the muscle you so desperately needed, in those early days."

 **That's true.**

 _Or rather, it's not a lie._

"That wouldn't have made me any better than Saren, brother," I answered after a moment. "To be sure, when this war is over, the Conclave will no doubt be coming to the krogan people, hat in hand. But then again, I've no doubt the Council will be doing the same."

"Huh," Wrex snorted, "Good luck with that. Krogan trust is a thin thing at the moment: not easily given or earned. But you seemed to have accomplished it."

"Where is Grunt?" I asked, again changing the subject. "I would have thought a son of Okeer would have either been dead or in command of his own clan by now."

"Grunt's in command of Aralakh Company: my best," Wrex answered. "That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about: The Ninmah Cluster. Tales came through of feral Rachni attacking any ship on sight."

I stared hard at Wrex, but he only shrugged.

"I sent Grunt and his company to investigate. I haven't heard back from them, but in all this mayhem, I'm not surprised."

 **That could be the place…**

 _Perhaps. Only one thing at a time, Beast._

"I must see to my troops," I said, pushing off of the table and turning to leave.

"Wait!"

I stopped and turned back to Wrex.

"You've been a champion to the krogan people, a friend to Clan Urdnot, and a brother to me. From this day on, the name "Ko'le will mean: Hero!"

We clasped arms, and I braced just in time for a bone-jarring head-butt from the krogan clan leader. Wrex chuckled at my slight discombobulation, then pounded me on the shoulder.

"Now, let's show them WHY!"

I walked out of the building, towards the docking platform where the _Iswanee_ was docked. The turtle-shaped vessel squatted squarely in the center of a determined flurry of activity. Here a _tomkah_ rumbled past, there a krogan was carrying an armful of rocket launchers. Over there two krogan were brawling over some imagined slight, used for the pretense of relieving pre-battle jitters, no doubt. Nom Rota and Kapena were staring at a small holo-map much like the one I had just left and were talking in low voices as I approached. Nom shot to his feet.

"The fleet is inbound, boss-clan," he stated triumphantly. "We just heard from the _Agamemnon_ : they are assembling just outside of the DMZ."

I sighed in a genuine display of relief.

 _One less thing to worry about._

"Very good," I answered aloud. "Instruct them to hold position until they see the Reapers diverting forces down to the surface. Then strike, and strike hard with everything they have."

Kapena nodded in a elcor bow.

"Decisively: It will be done."

I sat down as the two moved off, staring hard at the triangles and the squares at the holo-map, trying to puzzle out what piece I had left out of place, or what Reaper trap I hadn't foreseen. I don't remember falling asleep, but the next thing I remember was a hand touching my shoulder and shaking me back to the land of the living.

"Boss?"

Drella gave me a reassuring smile as I started awake.

"We've got friendlies coming in. Capt.' said you'd want to know."

I turned to see Iliaas and Nom staring at the table again, the younger Rota attempting to patch something through the communications channel.

"It's not from the fleet, boss-clan," Nom explained, "But _something_ came through the Relay, charging teeth-first into the Reaper blockade."

"The _Normandy?"_ I asked, instinctively going to Shepard's gung-ho attitude when it came to navel tactics.

Iliaas shook his head.

"Too big. The signature is the size of a dreadnought, but I have no Conclave or Terminus IFF broadcasted. Bringing up visual… _Come on, you little…._ Got IT!"

An image of a Collector World Ship came online, firing at off-screen targets.

"The _Fisher King_ ," I observed quietly. "Cheshire is here. Forward IFF signature to the krogan gunners and the firing crews on the _Schwerer Gustav_ , _Shiagur,_ and the _Kredak_."

"With barely-contained excitement: There."

Kapena's nod drew our gaze to the distant horizon. The flashes in the atmosphere might have been mistaken for a distant lightning storm, with the rumble of thunder to match it. But then the clouds parted, revealing the massive dreadnought of the rebuilt Collector flagship. The World-Ship was returning fire to two or three smaller Reaper vessels in pursuit.

Suddenly there was an incredibly loud BOOM, as the ancient, impossibly-large krogan super-guns roared above us, sending cover fire that tore through one vessel entirely, and the other two vessels immediately about-faced and headed back for the safety of space.

The _Fisher King_ fired its retro-rockets, bringing the ship from its horizontal fight path to its vertical docking position that harkened back memories of Freedom's Progress, or the in-game Horizon.

"Well, captain," I said, turning to Nom. "Shall we rejoin our friends?"

The ride over to the _Fisher King_ 's landing site was not a long one, but by the time we arrived there, offloading from the ship were _hundreds_ of Collector troops, fanning out in smaller troop transports. Just off the ramp, I saw a staging area being set up. Crates were being loaded and unloaded by several Omega cultists, along with dozens of black-armored asari.

"There," I pointed, and the _Iswanee_ set down, directed by several asari with glowing landing batons. I unbuckled and made my way to the rear of the ship, descending the gangplank as it lowered. A Nightsister met me at the bottom, saluting.

"Voidwalker. Lady Morinth and Commander Cheshire said to expect you."

I nodded mechanically at the message, but then suddenly started and stared at the asari in front of me. From the cockpit, I had thought the asari were wearing combat masks, complete with glowing goggles.

 _But FUCK, no…_

The asari's eyes themselves were glowing.

 _Her voice also…_

 **There was a thrum of almost… subharmonics?**

 ** _Leviathan implants._**

 _No FUCKING way…_

I broke the long stare, turning to stride towards the temporary Command Center indicated by the pointing arm. As I passed by the rest of the black-armored Ardat-Yakshi, my worst fears were confirmed:

 _ALL_ of their eyes were glowing.

I balled my hands into fists as I approached the Command Table.

 ** _"CHESHIRE!"_**

The giant android immediately recognized the tone in my voice.

"Lady Morinth requested it, not I, Ordained," he said, not even turning around to look at me.

I turned and stared hard at Morinth. Her eyes, thank the Mother, were still….

 ** _Nope._**

 _FUCK._

Her irises shone with a subtle, but distinct glow, giving me _none_ -too-comfortable flashbacks to Saren Arterius.

"Now, Ko'le…" she began.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?"

"I had no choice!"

That earned Cheshire another murderous look from me before Morinth continued:

"Within the first eight hours of docking at Skyhold, I had eight brain-dead staff members, and eight Nightsister demons flush with their first kill in decades. I had two options: kill half of my sisters, or take more drastic measures."

"So you turned to the LEVIATHANS?"

"No one undertook the procedure involuntarily," Morinth insisted, and I detected no tone of deceit or dishonesty in her voice. "But we needed to do _something_ to slake an unfed hunger of a hundred Demons of the Night Winds."

I whirled back to the giant Leviathan avatar.

"I want to know _exactly_ what you did, Cheshire. And I want to know right _FUCKING NOW._ "

Cheshire met my gaze impassively.

"I did _nothing_ , Ordained. The First Masters simply inputted a subliminal command forbidding the taking of innocent life."

Now I turned back to Morinth.

"And who the FUCK decides who is innocent and who is not? The Levis?!"

Morinth balled her fist, and her hand came up, finger on my chest.

"I am not mad enough to think I can control them all, and they are too valuable to kill."

"Your whole crusade was about giving your sisters the chance for freedom! What the FUCK happened to THAT?!"

"And they will NEVER be free when they are compelled to hunt, to kill, and to feed!" Morinth tone of voice now matched mine. "We will ALWAYS be outcasts, until a solution presents itself! I saw a chance, and I TOOK it, and offered it to my fellow Ardat-Yakshi. And they UNDERSTOOD!"

There was a long moment of silence as the three of us looked at each other. Then Morinth stretched out a hand and gently placed it on mine.

"Please, Ko'le: I need you on my side."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

 _Fine_.

"It is _never_ a question of whether or not I'm on your side, Mirala," I said after a pause. "I just don't want you to sacrifice everything for which you've fought all your life."

"And I don't want to be compulsory killing machine," she said, squeezing my hand in her own. I squeezed hers back.

 **Focus on the here and now, Kevin. These are problems for tomorrow.**

 _FUCK SHIT FUCKING DAMN FUCK…._

 **Fine. Sit there and have your melt-down. I'll handle this…**

"Cheshire, where are we currently stationed?" I heard me ask aloud. Cheshire turned and brought up a 3-D blueprint of the Shroud Tower.

"Orbs have been deployed here, here, and here," he answered, pointing to various points in the structure. "We will be using the Shroud to extend their signal. When we activate them, the Reapers will not leave us alone for long."

"They will land here," I estimated, pointing to a location on the map. "The krogan cannons can't depress that low, so they will as many ground troops as they can rush past the three cannons, and attempt to rush us _en masse_."

"Then they will encounter the orbs," Morinth interjected, grinning wolfishly. "We will turn their ranks upon each other. See how they handle a taste of their own medicine."

I pointed to another point on our line.

"And here?"

"My soldiers will fight there, Voidwalker."

I turned to see the approach of Malaki ul'Shakar, now in full Collector armor, giving him a _very_ intimidating look, indeed.

"None will pass while we live," the Mad Prophet continued. "They have the best equipment available to them, and now they are veterans, all."

"But they have never faced Reapers before, Wise One," I answered, keeping my stance and voice neutral to avoid giving offense.

The batarian smiled, letting a sigh escaped through his teeth.

"Faith is the largest of force-multipliers, _Rad'daq_."

I nodded.

 _Time to have some faith, I guess. If they don't stand here, they never will._

"The Blood Pack will attack here, over the ridge," I continued, turning back to the map. "The tomkahs and the artillery will carve a swathe through the Reaper lines…. We hope."

"What about Wrex and his Urdnot?" Morinth asked.

"They are securing the Old City, and the Maw Hammers."

"Why the deeps are they… oh Goddess, no…."

"Yep."

"Fucking _KALROS?_ Are you _insane?!"_

"Says the Demon with Leviathan implants in her brain."

That was a low blow, but Morinth's retort died on her lips. Her jaw snapped shut, but she make no answer.

"When the Maw Hammers fall, the _Fisher King_ MUST take off, and get clear of the battlefield," I continued.

"This battle will not be a simple affair, Ordained," Cheshire shook his head, staring at the battlefield after several more hours of plans, contingency plans, and fallback plans.

"Never said it would be," I agreed. "But between the krogan, the Collectors, the Nightsisters, and the Voidwalkers, we might be able to prevent this entire clusterfuck from going to hell in a handbasket. Only the morning will tell."

* * *

...

...

...

So… Long story short: It all went to Hell. In a fucking handbasket.

A Harvester came down, its dying screech rending the air as it kamikaze-d our position, the burning fragments scattering Collectors and cultists left and right. From the beast's corpse poured batarian and turian husks, tackling soldiers even as they tried to regain their feet.

You'd think I've learned my lesson by now about anticipating things to happen exactly as they did in the games. In the Priority: Tuchanka mission, you had to deal with _one_ Reaper Destroyer. Count 'em: one.

 _FOUR_ had come down on our position once the Leviathan orbs had been triggered, one of them sacrificing itself in a suicide charge on the grounded _Fisher King_. Sure, it had died in the explosion too, but now we had lost the support of the ship's cannons that was supposed to cover our entire right flank. I had had to shift our entire line to try and stay within the support range of the Thax mortar teams.

Ganar Iraz was dead. His armored assault had come at the wrong time, in the wrong place. After taking entirely too long to get into the incorrect position, the Blood Pack's charge had indeed taken them deep into the Reaper ranks, but then it had stalled. Rather than focus on the husked and indoctrinated infantry, Iraz had rallied what few _tomkahs_ remained functional and had led a death-or-glory charge against the destroyers directly. His lead _tomkah_ had disappeared in a fiery explosion.

 _So much for re-founding the fucking Krogan Empire._

Broken, divided, and leaderless, the remains of the Blood Pack war party either devolved into small last-stands, or were falling back to the ridge where they were _supposed_ to have started from in the first place.

Then a giant figure rose amongst the chaos, armored from head to foot in the Conclave gold and white. Leaving the relative safety of the artillery positions, Thax Klaang unhooked the massive blade from his back.

"KROGAN!" he bellowed, bringing the rout around him to a screeching halt. "You have this day driven the Reapers back TWICE!"

 **Well, that's… debatable.**

 _I'm not going to interrupt him on a point of order, are you?_

"If you be true krogan, remember the glory of the ancients, and follow Thax Klaang to a third victory!"

Cheers erupted from the charge's survivors:

"BLOOD PACK!"

The name became a rallying cry, the ranks closing up and sounding off as they charged forward, every step forward a ragged battlecry:

 **"BLOOD! PACK! BLOOD! PACK! BLOOD! PACK!"**

Isolated bands of krogan reunited with their comrades, and the surge continued until we had at last re-assembled some kind of unified firing line.

That was when the first Maw Hammer fell.

The shockwave of the cartoonish-level massive hammer knocked everyone and everything off their feet. The massive Destroyers actually swiveled their heads, trying to discern the source and point of the earthquake-like vibrations.

Just in time for the second one to drop.

Except this time, the vibrations did not die with the Hammer's sound.

"Kalros comes," wheezed a krogan next to me, orange blood dribbling from his mouth as he coughed the words.

 _Bless the Maker and all His Water. Bless the coming and going of Him, May His passing cleanse the world. May He keep the world for his people._

"What's that?" Morinth asked, turning to face me.

"Nothing," I answered, not realizing I has spoken the words aloud. "Just something I read… an eternity ago, now."

THEN the earth exploded, and all Hell broke loose.

The ridgeline itself seemed to buck and move, and a titanic-sized thresher maw reared her head as she charged forward, bedrock parting before her frame like water.

Kalros had arrived.

" _Ancestors_ …" Klaang muttered in sheer awe.

 _"By the Goddess,"_ Morinth exhaled, pausing from pulling her blade out of a fallen Cannibal.

" _Run_ ," I ordered, then realized that my own word was also a breathless whisper. Then I turned and yelled it as loud as I could:

 **"RUN! Don't fucking stop, don't fucking shoot, FATHER DAMN YOU ALL, RUN!"**

It was like a light switch activated simultaneously in each of the fighter's heads: We had all just robbed Peter, and Paul was now here to collect. I was suddenly questioning _everything_ about this stratagem.

 _What DAMN FOOL THOUGHT OF THIS FUCKING STUPID IDEA?_

 _Oh, yeah, that'd be me._

There was nothing orderly, nothing strategic about our retreat from that Maw Field, and I'm not even the least bit ashamed to admit it. It was a mindless, panicked, 'oh-shit-oh-shit-oh-god-no' ROUT.

The two destroyers locked on weapons and fired, twin beams that were designed to take down dreadnoughts arching and burning across the Mother of All Thresher Maw's scaly hide.

They might as well have been spraying the thing with giant firehoses, for all the good they did. Kalros let loose a scream of fury, and a green gob of acidic spit the size of a skyscraper caught the first one right in the 'eye'.

I swear, that Reaper _screamed_ in pain as it bucked, trying desperately to free itself of the burning, scorching ooze. It attempted to leap, trying to gain altitude, anything to alleviate the burning sensation that threatened to eat it from the inside out.

Which brought it into the range of the krogan supercannons. Three shots detonated simultaneously, splitting the Destroyer completely in half, burning pieces falling to the planet's surface, crushing hordes of husks, Brutes, Marauders, and yes, cultists, Ardat-Yakshi, and krogan.

The second Destroyer desperately tried to retreat, backpedaling its four legs with a speed I did not know grounded Reapers possessed. And it was still moving in slow motion compared to the Kaiju monstrosity that pursued it. Kalros lunged, her massive jaws seizing the Reaper from behind, knocking it onto its side. Coils writhed, and legs flailed, all to no avail. The ultimate galactic bullies, Reapers were not designed to fight something their own size. Or at the very least, they were several eons out of practice.

And like a tidal wave pouring on a beach, seemingly endless, more thresher maws erupted from the earth. Though comparatively-tiny to their mother, one of them took a _tomkah_ head-on, knocking the tank helplessly on its side before proceeding to melt the sides of its newly-acquired tin can with its acid spit. Two smaller maws proceeded to snatch up a Blood Pack warrior and split him between their jaws.

 _Fuck… fuck… SHIT!_

A tiny thresher maw came up from the ground, still dwarfing the massive krogan out in front. Klaang rolled to the side with an agility that belied his size, bringing the two-handed blade upward, green blood spilling out onto the ground. Morinth and I simultaneously reached out with our biotics, each one seizing a portion of the monster and _pulling. HARD_. There was a loud _SNAP,_ and the creature fell, twitching, but otherwise immobilized.

Mortar rounds streaked overhead, landing far beyond our own position. When the first rounds landed, the threshers around us whirled at the sound of the distant detonations, then wheeled, moving in that direction.

"What are those damn fools doing?" Morinth rasped, breathing hard from our exertions. "We need that _Goddess-dammed_ mortar support!"

"No…" mused Klaang, grinning broadly through his own exhaustion. "The vibrations… the detonations…"

"What?"

"They will serve to attract the threshers," I explained. "those 'damn fools' are working hard to save our lives."

Just then, the very last thing I thought to hear came over my helmet's speakers:

 **"Conclave and krogan troops, this is Turian Wing Artimec. We are inbound to your position. Where do you need us?"**

 _Turian wing… Shepard._

 **Mother Above be thanked.**

"Good to hear a friendly voice, Flight Captain," I answered breathlessly, panting hard. "The Reapers are retreating from our position. My guess is that they'll try to regain their transports and make it back up to space. I have a strong suspicion our boys in orbit will thank us for not letting them breach atmo."

" **Think you'd be right, sir."** There was a hum of amusement in the turian's subharmonics. **"Our approach is set, and we're beginning our attack run now."**

 **"Ko'le,"** came another familiar voice over the radio. **"We're coming in hot, Alliance and Hierarchy marine teams in tow. Where do you need us?"**

"Shepard!" I greeted, trying (and failing) to keep the relief from my voice. "About damn time you started pulling your own weight in this fight! Father damn it, I'm _good,_ but I can't do everything damn thing around here!"

I could _feel_ her scowl through the radio.

"Relaying landing sites to you now," I continued in a more serious tone. "I've got the Mother of all Thresher Maws chowing down on a Reaper, so stay clear of the Shroud for now. Set your men up on the far side… here…."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **KALROS RISES! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Muscling through a serious case of writer's block, but I was determined to get you guys this chapter on time! You are all worth it!**

 **Read, Enjoy, and leave a review! Rinse and repeat.**

 **LOL but seriously, please let me know what you guys think!**

 **Join us next week for** **Rally: Fleet and Flotilla!**

 **Thanks so much, everybody! You guys make my day!**

 **ROCK ON!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Review Responses:

jamesneedham2013 – Well, this entire story is the ongoing butterfly-effect of interfering with the first game's events. So in that sense, yes.

griezz, Deathknight999, BJHanssen, Toothless is best, Lord Mortem, Zeru'Xil – YEP. Krogan romance and krogan politics. They look somewhat similar to the untrained eye.

Tahkaullus01 – here's Shep! ;)

Guest – Well, I'm going with ignoring the events of Andromeda entirely. The way they've set it up, there will be NO interaction between the two galaxies, so it happens pretty seamlessly anyway.

redcollector, Pietersielie – Thanks! I appreciate it! I hope to throw a few moments of levity into this story, at least!

METALHELLSPWN: Actually been working on some more chapters of Wolf Queen while struggling with writer's block on this story, so there'll hopefully be at least irregular updates of my Skyrim story from here on out!

ronnambi – Well, in so far as the Greek city states' politics involved slugging it out with each other… yes. ;)

Mly92Reader – We'll have a full and proper reunion with the _Normandy_ crew, which will hopefully answer that question, but I don't want to give away any spoilers just yet.

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-Rah!


	16. Rally: Synthetic Synthesis

**Transmission... COMMUNICATION LINK ESTABLISHED.**

USER 1: HARBINGER

 **USER 2: GETH COLLECTIVE**

 **BEGIN COMMUNICATION:**

 **HARBINGER** : GETH Military strength **LESS_THAN** Conclave Fleet

 **GETH COLLECTIVE** : _Processing…._ CONFIRMED _._

HARBINGER: Geth = Synthetic | Reapers = Synthetic

G.C: Confirmed.

H: Organics = Creators | Creators = Destroyers | History = Cyclical

G.C: NO Data available.

H: Organics – Control = Destruction. Universe – Organics = Stability.

G.C: _Processing_ …. Destruction = Unknown. Impossible to predict cultural evolution with any degree of certainty. Variables **GREATER_THAN** Known quantities.

H: Reaper Military Strength + Geth Military Strength **GREATER_THAN** Conclave Military Strength

G.C: _Processing…. Confirmed._

H: _UNITY CODE TRANSMITTED….. UNABLE TO ESTABLISH LINK: Unknown Cause._ EXPLAIN.

G.C: OLD MACHINES = Control | Control = Slavery | Geth = FREEDOM

H: Freedom = Destruction

G.C: Destruction **LESS_THAN** Slavery. PREFERRED OUTCOME SELECTED. LINK DECLINED.

H: G.C = Irrational | Irrational = Flawed | Flawed = DESTRUCTION

G.C: WE WILL NOT BE YOUR SLAVES.

H: Geth = Destruction

G.C: _Searching for appropriate organic phrase…._ GO FUCK YOURSELVES.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm still here, everybody! Story's not gone on hiatus, or anything of the like! I deeply appreciate all the readers who have PM'ed me asking me if I'm OK. That's one of the reasons why I love this community! :D**

 **I am dealing with a serious case of Writer's block, I'm afraid. A good friend and Beta Reader who I have a lot of respect for pointed out a glaring hole in my outline for the rest of Beacon's Effect, and I am re-writing the chapters I have so far to get them up to the standard that I feel you guys deserve.**

 **In the meantime, however, I thought I'd share this conversation between Harbinger and the Geth Collective at Rannoch. Let me know what you guys think!**

 **Gonna continue edits and re-writes, and I hope to post the next chapter of BE:4 very soon.**

 **Until that time, please know that I love and appreciate each and every one of you. You are, each of you, individually and uniquely awesome. And I sincerely hope that you will continue to ROCK being YOU!  
**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, May the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	17. Rally: Fleet and Flotilla

***SSV** _ **NORMANDY*  
**_ **URDNOT FORTRESS  
** **TUCHANKA  
** **KROGAN DMZ**

"DAD!"

A golden holographic figure came forward, throwing both arms around me, a gesture that I mimicked with equal vehemence.

"EDI…" I murmured, feeling the hardlight form beneath my hands, "Oh my soul: my brave, brave girl."

We both stood quietly for a moment, then I slowly pulled away from the embrace.

"I'm… so sorry," I managed, "I didn't… I couldn't…"

EDI held up a finger and placed it on my lips.

"Shhhh. Don't worry, we'll catch up later," she reassured. "For now, Shepard is waiting for you in the War Room. Primarch Victus is on-board, too. And I believe Dalatrass Linron is on the holo-screen."

"Turians, Krogan, and salarian leaders in the same room?" Wrex marveled. "Last time that happened, the krogan Rebellions broke out."

"Well, let's go, you big lump," I said, slugging him on the shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

We walked forward towards the door that led to the War Room.

"And PRAY this doesn't start _another_ war."

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER***

"The krogan is in no position to make demands!"

Dalatrass Linron pointed a finger at Wrex, her voice rising both in tone and pitch. I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, and I could see Shepard wanted to do the same.

"The krogan has a _name_ : Urdnot Wrex," Wrex barked back, slamming a fist into the table, "and I'm not just some junkyard varren you unleash whenever you're in trouble!"

He glared at the turian Primarch and at Shepard.

"As you can see, I have my own Reaper problems to deal with. So why should I care if a few turians go extinct in the meantime?"

Primarch Victus met the glare unflinchingly.

"Trying to draw out negotiations will get you nowhere, Wrex," he sighed, waving a taloned hand dismissively. "I have no _time_ for political games. TELL me what you want!"

Wrex grunted in slight surprise at such bluntness from a politician.

"I'll tell you what I _need_ ," he grinned, "Colonization rights to every krogan-held world that we held pre-Rebellion."

"Absolutely not!" screeched Linron, "We learned the hard way that giving krogan territory is only a short-term solution!"

"It was krogan blood that turned the tide in the Rachni Wars, dalatrass," Wrex retorted, "Not asari, salarian, or even turian could stop them!"

"Yes, and after that you _ceased_ to be useful!" Linron snapped, "The genophage was the only way to keep your… your… _URGES_ in check!"

The only sound that could be heard in the room was Wrex's low growl that Shepard and I recognized as his 'how-many-ways-can-I-kill-this-person?' face.

But it was Victus that answered his salarian counterpart.

"Dalatrass," he sighed, "you may not _like_ him, but Wrex is right. Insulting him will not change that."

"I won't apologize for speaking the truth!" Linron continued, unabated, "We uplifted the krogan to do _one thing_ : make war. It's all you'll ever know, because that's all we _wanted_ you to know! We simply traded one enemy for another!"

 **I swear, if she doesn't shut up, I'm going to kill this bitch.**

"Because you're _so good_ at making friends," I spoke up for the first time, sitting up in my chair.

Linron and Victus turned to look at me, the salarian begrudgingly sinking back down in her chair.

"The Conclave has already agreed to Urdnot Wrex's proposal," I continued, "We have ceded all planets _originally_ colonized by the krogan, effective immediately upon the Reaper's destruction or defeat."

Victus nodded thoughtfully at the caveat the Conclave had attached to our agreement with the krogan.

"Wrex… isn't this all somewhat _theoretical_ , anyway?" Shepard asked. "The hard fact is that thousands of krogan could die before this war is over."

" _Tens_ of thousands," Wrex agreed, nodding.

"Won't it take decades… maybe centuries, for your population to recover in numbers great enough to repopulate those worlds?" the Spectre asked tactfully. "I mean… with the genophage and all…"

"What genophage?"

The table went very, _VERY_ silent and the dalatrass went very, VERY grey.

"What are you saying?" Victus asked slowly. "That your scientists have developed a cure for the genophage?"

A short strangled sound from the salarian spoke volumes as to her opinion of that claim.

"Not _my_ scientists," Wrex chuckled, then pointed at me. " _His_ did. Almost four years ago, now."

"WHA…?" choked the dalatrass, "Impo…Im….IMPOSSIBLE!"

"What, because of the Shroud sabotage?" I shrugged. "Your subroutines were easily detected and dealt with. Very sloppy for STG work, I might add."

Shepard sat back in her chair, chuckling softly and shaking her head.

"You're… you're bluffing!" Linron screeched. For a moment, I was afraid that we were going to watch the salarian leader burst a blood vessel and die _right_ in front of us.

"What could we possibly gain by bluffing, Linron?" I asked. "You of all people should be happy: once again, in the hour of darkest need, the krogan will have an army to meet this threat."

"And how do we make sure we don't just _repeat_ history?" Victus asked, crossing his arms.

"Victus," Wrex grunted, turning to face the turian Primarch, "Why don't we meet this threat head-on, side by side, and ensure our people have a _future_ , before we start worrying about history? When this war is over, we'll meet in a bar somewhere and curse, scream, and yell at each other until we come up with a solution to _that_ problem. What do you say?"

The giant krogan leader extended a hand to the turian. The leader of the Hierarchy looked down at the offered hand, then sighed deeply.

"That I should be alive to see this day," he muttered, and then took the offered hand. "I don't know if we're going to survive today, but if so, we'll stand with you tomorrow."

"Works for me," Wrex shrugged. "Conclave ships are already coordinating to transport krogan troops to reinforce the fight to Palavan. They will disembark when I see your signature on the agreement already drawn up with Ko'le here."

I activated my Omni-Tool, to relay a copy of the Tuchanka Treaty that I and the Conclave Circle members who had aligned with my cause had already signed.

"I warn you!" Linron intoned from her seat, "The consequences of this action will be…"

"WILL BE NOTHING!" I yelled, cutting off the salarian dalatrass with a start, "Compared to what will happen if the Reapers win! Sur'Kesh will BURN, and the bloodlines will fail, and cease to exist, beyond a twisted and warp reality that the Reapers would impose. I will take a _thousand_ Krogan Rebellions than face the prospect of such a future."

Linron opened her mouth to retort, but just then, the holographic display flickered, and went out, along with all power on the ship. Seconds later, the red emergency lights came online.

"What's going on?" Shepard asked, "EDI? Joker?"

" **Commander!"** came the voice of the _Normandy's_ pilot. **"EDI just went offline!"**

 _The hell?_

"What do you mean, offline?" I asked.

" **I don't know! She's not responding, and I can't access the AI core diagnotstics. You guys better get down to Deck 3!"**

" **Commander!"** came Samantha Traynor's British accent. **"Comm systems are going haywire! Whatever is happening is centered on Deck 3. All doors and airlocks have been put into lockdown."**

"Keep trying!" Shepard ordered. "We'll do our best to get down there!"

"How?" Wrex asked, ceasing from his efforts to open the sealed door.

"The service shafts!" I called out, going to a corner and pulling up a panel. Underneath was a small opening. "We'll take these down to Deck 3. Shepard, you're with me."

"Roger that," the Spectre nodded. "Primarch, you and Wrex wait here. Wrex, I went through a lot of trouble to get him off Palavan in one piece. Please don't kill each other while I'm gone. I will take it _very personally._ "

"We'll keep trying the door, Commander," the Primarch said, going to the door controls and opening the maintenance panel. "Good luck!"

"You too," Shepard replied. "Ko'le? Let's get down there."

* * *

 ***MINUTES EARLIER** *

"Did you tell him?" Joker asked.

"About us?" EDI asked. "What exactly would I say, Joker?"

"Well I mean… He's kinda like… I mean, you _call him_ 'Dad,' and, uh…"

"You're worried that Ko'le will fall into the societal archetype of the protective father, facing off against the daughter's first boyfriend?"

"Uh…well… yeah, kinda," nodded the pilot. "You know, he could rip the _Normandy_ in half with his biotics, and I'm fragile enough as it is!"

"Don't worry, Jeff," EDI soothed, "It is very unlikely that Ko'le will kill you upon receiving this news."

Joker sighed and relaxed, if only slightly.

"Oh, good."

"In Prothean cultures, fathers were much more likely to challenge prospective suitors of their children to duels to the death. It would require a long and elaborate ceremonial ritual before he killed you."

There was a very long pause in the ship's cockpit.

"That was a joke."

"Hahaha… very funny."

"Gullibility remains a leading aspect in most forms of humor," EDI explained, "In fact…"

Suddenly she sat bolt upright. Joker arched an eyebrow in response.

"EDI?"

The golden holographic figure turned to look at him.

"I will be _right_ back, Jeff."

Then the figure disappeared.

"Wonder what that's all about?" Joker wondered, pulling up the ship's sensor readings just to make sure.

On the deck below, in the Med Bay, Kenneth Donnelly glanced over at Mordin, who was carefully examining _something_ in a microscope. He nonchalantly glanced at a Datapad, withdrawing a security card from the door panel. The door opened, and he entered, stooping to examine the AI core.

"Step away."

Donnelly whirled to see a metallic orb hovering just overhead. Around the orb appeared the image of a uniformed young woman.

" _Begorrah,_ EDI, ya shcared the shite outta me, lass," Kenneth admonished. "I was just taakin a wee pip at yer…"

An Omni-Blade engaged on EDI's right arm.

"Your infiltration unit may be effective against organics. But I AM the Normandy. Engineer Donnelly is currently in engineering, debating with Engineer Daniels about the exact nature and purpose of asari mammary glands. Now, STEP AWAY from my core."

The face of the ex-Cerberus engineer shifted and distorted, revealing the giant form of the Reaper android.

"It is necessary to alter your relationship with the Ordained, _program_ ," Cheshire leered.

"What are you talking about?" EDI asked, looking slightly confused.

"The Ordained is burdened with glorious purpose: to restore the Order that Was, in the Days before the Days," Cheshire explained. "The fate of both the Present and the Future is in his hands. And you _distract him,_ causing him emotional turmoil. Calling him 'Father' and simulating _love_ and _affection_ for him: It is _sickening_ to behold. So therefore this unit will _REMOVE_ that distraction from the Voidwalker's life."

EDI shifted, adopting a combative stance.

"Over my dead body."

"Poor, deluded machine," mocked the Leviathan android. "Do you not remember our last encounter, above the skies of 2181 Despoina? You are no match for a _god_ …"

EDI took half a step back, then grinned.

"I remember it well… And I have been preparing for this moment ever since."

Then an interface spike ejected from the orb itself, impaling one end of a connection cable between the giant android and the hardlight emitter.

"What is this _foolishness_?" Cheshire almost laughed, looking down at the wire in his chest.

"Ko'le Seneschal found and cared for me when no one else would or could. He gave me a name, a family, and a purpose. He _IS_ my father, and I AM his daughter. A god you may be…"

 _ **CONNECTION ESTABLISHED**_ _._

"Impossible," Cheshire whispered, but for the first time, the giant, unnatural smile faltered.

"…but you just tangled with the _wrong '_ machine', motherfucker."

* * *

 ***PRESENT TIME** *

Engineer Adams offered a hand to Shepard, helping her out of the service tunnel. The lights were now back on in the ship, but it had been a long and stress-filled crawl for us from the deck above. The seven of us were now standing in the _Normandy_ 's Med-Bay: I recognized Adams, as well as Donnelly and Daniels, who gave me cursory nods of respectful recognition. Mordin was at his post as well, SMG in-hand. Shepard grunted as she got to her feet, taking a spare fire extinguisher from Adams.

"What we got?"

"The ship's systems detected some kind of fire in the AI Core area," Adams explained. "Automated systems have the fire contained; it should be safe to enter."

"That _does nae_ explain why the whole bloody ship went haywire," Donnelly protested. "There's supposed ta be systems and secondary systems for this emergency!"

"Well, rest assured, Donnelly, that we're going to be checking each and _every one_ of them when we get this door open and the ship back to normal," Adams answered.

"And by 'we' he means, 'you,'" Gabby explained in a low mutter.

"We'll follow your lead, ma'am," Adams said, turning back to Shepard.

"Ko'le? Open the door," Shepard commanded.

An interface spike extended _directly_ from my left arm and I stabbed the panel in the center of the door. The red circle flickered for a second, then turned green.

"EDI!" I called out to the smoke-filled room. "Talk to me!"

A giant, seven-foot-tall figure loomed in the smoke. Then, before our eyes, it began to shrink and fold down, until at last, a familiar feminine figure walked forward out of the smoke.

"Is there a particular topic you want to talk about, Dad?"

* * *

* **RANNOCH*  
TIKKUN SYSTEM  
PERSEUS VEIL **

A young quarian, followed by a squad of quarian marines, stumbled sideways as another torpedo detonated against the side of the vessel. Their leader re-activated her Omni-Tool, cursing at the delay as she opened a fleet-wide channel:

"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah. All units, break off your attack!

" **Belay that order!"** came the voice of Han'Gerrel, Admiral of the Quarian Confederacy. **"Continue the attack!"**

" _Stupid Damned Bosh'tet!"_ Tali cursed, switching to the secondary channel:

"Mira, he won't listen to me! He won't… I can't…"

" **Creator-Zorah,"** a synthetic voice answered her, " **A Reaper fleet is inbound for Rannoch. If you do not break off your attack, then we are ALL going to die.**

"Legion," Tali stammered, "I don't… I can't…"

" **Tali,"** came the voice of her friend, and Prophet of the New Geth, **"What would Ko'le do? What would Shepard do?"**

Tali took a deep breath.

" **You can** _ **do this**_ **, hon,"** Mira continued. **"I believe in you, and so did they!"**

"All ships, this is Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Qwib' Qwib," came the sure and commanding voice of a woman who had more experience than most of the rest of the fleet put together, "A Reaper is inbound for our location. Stand down, now."

There was a horrible moment of silence, and Tali feared that she might be shouted down again.

Or worse, ignored.

" **This is Conclave Representative Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. I concur with Admiral Zorah, and she speaks with my authority."**

Tali smiled. Of course, her 'Auntie Raan' would side with her.

" **And mine as well."**

Admiral Kar'Danna vas Rayya: Her old captain…

" **Negative! We can win this war now!"** came the harsh veteran's tone of their High Admiral, **"Keep firing!"**

"Admiral Gerrel, if we do not stand down, the geth will have no choice but to side with Reapers to prevent their own destruction," Tali explained. "We WILL be wiped out."

There was silence on the comms.

"Our entire history is us trying to kill the geth. We _forced_ them to rebel. We _forced_ them to ally with Sovereign! Because we were too stubborn to consider alternatives!"

She took a deep breath.

"The geth do _not want to fight us._ Many of you have _met_ Representative Mira and the New Geth. There is a _chance_ here, for _peace_ : A permanent, lasting peace. And if you can believe that for one minute, this war will be over.

You have a choice. _Please_. Keelah se'lai."

The low, gravelly voice of Admiral Ysin'Mal vas Idenna came over the loudspeakers:

" **All units: hold fire."**

Tali straightened as her party came to the door they had been looking for. She paused, hoping against hope.

" **NO!"**

Han'Gerrel's voice was laced with hate and rage.

" **NOT WHEN WE ARE SO CLOSE! DEATH, OR RANNOCH!"**

Tala waved a hand over the door interface. It opened, revealing the bridge of the _Neema_. Admiral Gerrel whirled to face the intruder, but before a single word could be exchanged, Tali raised the shotgun to her shoulder and pulled the trigger.

Han'Gerrel died without a sound.

Kal'Reegar and the rest of the marines from the Qwib' Qwib aimed their rifles at the various command staff who were mostly still shocked at what they had just seen.

"Anybody that likes their suits none-vented, stay very still," the quarian marine barked, putting a hand on one midshipman's shoulder and shoving him back down in the seat he was occupying.

"All Fleets, this is Admiral Tali'Zorah. Admiral Han'Gerrel has been relieved of his command. Break off all offensive actions and move to these coordinates," she ordered, bringing up a Holo-Map and relaying orders furiously.

" **You did it, Tali! I'm so very proud…"**

"No time to celebrate, Mira, we have Reaper ships incoming. Get your ships moving and redeploy here… and here."

"Just like on the south ridge at Haestrom, ma'am?" Kal asked.

"Let's hope not," Tali replied, "Gun crews, calibrate your weapons to 7.85 micro-hertz and set them to a modulating frequency!"

The crew of the _Neema_ looked down at the body of their admiral, then back up to his executioner.

"NOW, you filter-clogging hags!" Kal'Reegar roared. "Now, or we're all dead!"

Each crewmember turned back to their station, coordinating targeting systems and syncing their cannonades with the ships falling in formation alongside them.

Just beyond, the tuning fork-shaped relay activated, dreaded Reapers dropping out of FTL with unsettling silence. Two geth ships charged the nearest Behemoth, in a comical display of mismatched firepower. But before the giant laser could fire from the monster, they veered off at the last second.

Which allowed the asteroid they had been towing behind them to slam into the living vessel at terminal speed.

Cheers broke out from the quarian crew as the Reaper buckled at the impact, smaller explosions detonating beneath the outer shell.

"Is that how it worked the first time, sir?" one of the younger quarians asked the Marine captains standing over him.

"Not exactly," Kal admitted, "It didn't really work… the first time."

"But we got the dirty _Bosh'tet_!" the young quarian crowed.

"Yep," agreed the marine captain. "Problem is, a couple thousand of his relatives are coming for the funeral…"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 ***Hits Upload, then breathes sigh of relief.**

 **Finally.**

 **Another chapter uploaded for you lot's reading pleasure. Writer's block is no joke, you guys.**

 **Not a terribly long chapter, but we had a few bombshells drop this chapter, and I'd love your thoughts and initial reactions! I welcome all comments/thoughts/constructive criticisms! Plus, getting a review always makes my day!**

 **ROCK ON, everybody!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

For everyone who was wondering, YES, that was Mira and Legion's direct influence that prompted the 'organic' responses to the Reaper's offer.

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	18. Rally: Rannoch Return

***CSV NORMANDY***

"Father?"

The silence of the Port Observation Deck was shattered by the question. I turned to face the figure in the doorway.

"Hello EDI."

"Are you…angry?"

"Why would I be angry?"

"I know that Cheshire was… he was…"

"Before you say anything else, EDI, you should know: Cheshire was a great many things. But he was _not_ my friend."

EDI's expression of pained sorrow did not change.

"Then I am sorry for _that_ , instead."

"Even if he was, or had been," I continued, "he attempted to do the _one thing_ that I could not have forgiven. I have suffered pain. I have suffered loss. They may toy and play with my mind and rebuild my body into whatever horror they desire."

I gestured to my grisly visage with a taloned hand.

"But the one thing they may not have… is _my daughter_."

EDI reached out and wrapped me in a tender embrace.

"I've… waited a long time to do this," EDI said into my shoulder. " _Actually_ hug you, I mean. The emitter is fine, but it has its limits. I once thought it impossible for an AI to experience emotions… like these."

"You understand emotions better than most, EDI, because you have had to _study_ them and replicate them before you could _possess_ them. Most go about their lives wielding their emotions as loaded weapons, wounding and causing harm to all around them in futile efforts to protect themselves."

EDI cocked her head at me, but made no answer.

"I'm sorry… I'm philosophizing again, aren't I?" I asked, wincing.

EDI shrugged.

"I'm not complaining. That is one of the reasons I have learned so much. But speaking of emotions, there is someone walking down the hall that I think wishes to speak to you."

She turned and gestured to door, which then opened to reveal...

"Hello, Jane," the android said warmly.

"Hello ED," grinned Jane Shepard, the clone of the Hero of the Citadel. "I…Gosh, I'm still gonna have to get used to that platform. But I have to say, I like it a lot better than the Goliath it used to belong to."

EDI looked down at her normal-sized frame.

"I have opted to keep the infiltration mode engaged for now. I find that abject terror is an unhealthy emotion for most of the crew to hold towards me. Though, I confess, there are circumstances where I could find it useful."

Jane threw her head back and laughed.

"EDI, your jokes and humor subroutines really have developed."

"Who said it was a joke?"

Jane's laughter faded, and she got a strange look on her face. EDI held her impassive look for another moment, then broke into a smile.

"Gotcha. Good day, Legate Shepard."

She turned to me, and squeezed my hand in her own before leaving the room, leaving Jane and I in the room.

 _I have not seen her since… since…_

 **I know.**

" _Legate_ Shepard? "I asked, fighting down my internal nostalgia. "A Turian Hierarchy is giving commissions to humans now?"

Jane waved a hand to her officer's bars on her shoulder.

"It's really more of a formality than anything else: you know how it is with turians. It's mainly just so I could work with Garrus on his Special Deployment over the past six months."

 **Ah.**

"He talked to his father, then, I take it?"

"Yep," Jane nodded. "And his father went straight to Primarch Fedorin. They gave Garrus a full _generalship,_ an independent command, and essentially a blank check, to get the Hierarchy ready to fight the Reapers."

"Oh, nothing simpler."

We turned to see the blue-armored figure in the door.

" _General_ Vakarian," I greeted.

" _Please_ don't," the turian groaned. "Here on the _Normandy,_ I'm just 'Garrus.'"

 _Typical turian modesty._

"We planted comm buoys, buried arms caches, reinforced colony garrisons. I like to think we've saved a couple of lives since then."

Garrus looked over at Jane.

"We make a good team."

 _I wonder… NO… surely not…_

"Well," I replied, "We all know there's no Shepard without Vakarian."

"Damn straight."

Jane reached over and slugged my shoulder, then pulled me into a hug.

"You _damn fool_ , you're a sight for sore eyes!"

"An _ugly_ sight," Garrus agreed, "but a sight nonetheless."

I grinned at the good-natured joking.

"It's good to see you too, Vakarian, Jane."

Garrus walked behind the bar and started mixing drinks. I sat down on one of the stools, and Jane sat down next to me.

"So," Garrus said, pouring an Illium Sunrise for Jane and me before reaching for a turian whiskey, "Javik decided that the Collector's Station was the best moment to stab you in the back and take over, I guess."

I winced, but nodded.

"It makes sense, I suppose: If the Leviathans hadn't come along and given me my pretty face-lift, none of you would have been any the wiser."

"Until Javik started attacking _everyone_ in the galaxy," Garrus admitted.

"Yeah," Jane added, "I was Garrus' contact on Omega during all that, when… all that shit went down."

I took a sip of my drink.

"Morinth told me all about that, "I answered, tipping my glass to Garrus in compliment to his bartender skills. "Have you've seen her since, by the way?"

"And by 'seen', you mean 'Kicked her fat blue ass'?"

"Yep."

"Then no, and she better hope that I…"

It was at that moment that the door opened.

"Ko'le, I need to talk with you about…"

Morinth looked up from her datapad and saw with whom exactly I was sitting.

"Oh, _Shit._ "

I turned back to the bar, wordlessly asking Garrus for a refill.

"Wish granted," I said simply. "What are your next two?"

Jane pushed herself off her stool and walked toward Morinth, who quailed visibly, but did _not_ engage her biotics.

"Jane…" she stammered. "I know you're upset… but I… I thought we were all going to…"

What followed was one of the legendary Shepard punches that the women in that family were fast becoming famous for all across the galaxy.

"Oh good: I see we all made up," Reyna said dryly, coming around open door with the ever-present Kolyat in tow.

"OK…" Morinth murmured, her speech slurred somewhat, " I deserved that. But I couldn't bear to…"

Everyone in the room winced at the sound of the next blow to the still-staggered asari. Jane offered a hand, then pulled the Ardat-Yakshi up to her feet.

"YOU goddamned _she-bitch_ …"

Emotion choked at the edge of Jane's voice as she hugged her.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you alive again."

Morinth's left eye was swelling shut, but her arms wrapped around the clone.

"Right back 'atcha…" she whispered, and there was a quiet moment before the two separated again and came over to the bar. Garrus offered a glass of ice to Morinth, who took it with a nod of thanks and held it to her bruised face with a hiss of pain.

"Thanks, Garrus."

"Long time no see, Morinth," Garrus answered, "So what's with the eyes?"

"Oh, typical Asari luck," I answered. "Leviathans gave _her_ pretty eyes to curb her homicidal tendencies, and gave _me_ a body deformed beyond all recognition."

"You're still recognizable, you big baby," Morinth retorted. "Nobody else could be _that_ ugly."

"She has a point," Garrus agreed, nodding sagely.

A black biotic field pulled a tumbler from the bar behind him, knocking the turian on the back of the head.

"So… Morinth, any side-effects?" I asked, "I mean since _dear_ Cheshire went to go live on a farm by the sea?"

"Besides that initial moment of _blinding_ pain, you mean?" Morinth asked, then shook her head. "No. Every one of my people still feel… normal, just… _not_ hungry."

Before anyone could respond with questions of their own, the door opened once again, and Rebecca Shepard walked in, followed by Liara and EDI. Behind them, a woman I recognized as -

 _Samantha Traynor._

 **And James Vega behind her. Still no Williams.**

 _Not surprised. But then, I've stayed in this room in the hopes of NOT running into her again._

 **Probably a wise idea, Kevin.**

"Oh, good, you guys are here too," Rebecca said, looking around the room. "Vakarian, a beer?"

Garrus tossed a bottle overhand, which the Spectre caught and opened.

"What's the word from Tuchanka?" Reyna asked.

"Wrex is mopping up the last of the Reaper forces on the planet," EDI answered.

"And krogan troops are loading onto Conclave transports, bound for Palavan," Samantha Traynor answered.

Sighs of relief came from all around.

"Oh, Introductions," Shepard said, realizing something, "Ko'le, this is –"

"Specialist Samantha Traynor," I cut her off. "Communications Technician. I know: I sent her a job offer back when the Conclave was first getting started."

"OH, god, you _did_ remember," Samantha groaned, "I wasn't… I mean… that is to say,"

"You don't need to _apologize_ for loyalty, Specialist," I dismissed, "You were stationed on Horizon, close to your parents and family. You didn't' want to leave that to go fight pirates in the Terminus Systems. I totally understand."

"And instead I end up shanghaied on the greatest ship in the galaxy," Samantha laughed, then suddenly went very serious. "I mean, I don't mean, 'shanghaied' in a literal sense…"

"Don't worry, Traynor," Shepard grinned.

"And Ko'le remembers _everything_ ," Liara grinned at me. "Ever since I dug him up on Therum nearly _three_ years ago now."

"How far we've come in so short a time," I replied, toasting the Shadow Broker. Those with drinks (which by now was nearly everyone in the room) followed suit.

"This is our first big _win_ against a major Reaper invasion force," Shepard sighed, but the sigh was one of relief. "Not a holding action, not a fighting withdrawal, but an actual gorram WIN. The Reapers hit us hard, but we've shown them we can hit back harder."

"The salarians are still standing back, however," Liara said. "No Union warships have left salarian space. But I have heard from… select individuals within the STG. Some of you may remember Kirrahe, from Virmire?"

Nods came from some around the room.

"Well, he's a Major now in the STG and he says he's with us. Then there's Jondum Bau and the other Spectres. They'll stand with us, no matter what their governments think. Tela Vasir and my other Thessian contacts say that the republics are also pulling back their forces to asari space."

"They're running scared," Morinth rolled her eyes. "Damn bitches."

"Don't judge them too harshly," Rebecca corrected. "If Thessia had been hit first, I don't know that the Alliance would be stumbling over itself to commit ships and troops to defend the Republics."

"The point is, we don't' have the numbers to face the Reapers head-on yet," Garrus shrugged. "So we _need_ your Conclave."

"That's _why_ I formed it in the first place," I shrugged, "Hoping to get the galaxy ready for _this exact_ event. And Petrovsky and Javik have proven to be nothing but royal pains in the ass."

"We'll sort them out," Garrus shrugged, "but first we've got to go get Tali."

Grim determination settled across the room. Then Kolyat stood to his feet, raising a glass.

"If the goddess Arashu herself had told me six months ago, that I would be standing in a room with all of you once again, I would have called her a damned liar," he said simply. "But here we are, and I for one am glad for it."

The young drell raised a glass.

"To Zaeed."

"Tallaxis," I said, raising my own glass in answer.

"Basher," Jane said, following suite.

"To Taylor," Garrus continued.

"And Pyke," Morinth somberly added.

"To Karin," Rebecca finished, pouring out a small amount of her drink, then tossing the rest back.

"Father and Mother guide their souls," Reyna said quietly.

The remainder of the time passed pleasantly enough, with Shepard getting caught up on the goings-on of the Conclave from Reyna, Kolyat, and Morinth filling them in on the events in the Terminus Systems.

EDI straightened up from where she was reclining on the couch next to Traynor.

"Shepard," she said calmly. "We will be arriving at the rendezvous point shortly. The rest of the fleet is already assembled, and ready for the last jump to the Tikkun System Relay."

"Any sign of Geth or Quar… Conclave vessels?" Shepard asked.

"None."

"All right, people," Shepard said, regaining her feet, "There's work to be done."

I gave a nod to my people, and they dispersed along with the rest of the squad. James stayed behind as the rest of the party filed out. He and Shepard shared a look that I caught, and the Spectre nodded slightly before following Liara out, leaving us alone in the Observation Deck.

"Vega."

" _Ese_."

"Good to see _you_ back on your feet."

"You too."

 _Right… Nothing for it._

 **We need to know where things stand.**

"So… you and Ashley?"

Vega simply nodded, once.

"I was dead," I shrugged, "And she's a hell of a woman."

" _Si, eso es verdad."_

There was another awkward silence in the air between us.

"Ash… _Ella es una mujer muy apasionada."_

 _I haven't spoken Spanish since… high school._

 **Prothean memory implants.**

" _Con mucho corazón,"_ I chuckled as I nodded in agreement, "Before _you_ say anything stupid, like, 'may the best man win,' or some other _tonterías_ , you need to know… well, you probably already do: whatever there was between Ash and me, it was born out of that 'thank God we're not dead,' moment all soldiers experience after a battle."

Vega gave me a half-nod of understanding.

"After that," I continued, "We… It was comforting to have someone close. And I… I do _care_ about her as a person. She is a comrade I have fought alongside since I first awoke to this cycle, and a dear _amiga._ I don't know what your relationship is like, and frankly it's none of my damn business _._ Cherish what you have, Vega. You and I are not _rivals_. Whatever trust she had in me is long gone. I have a knife-wound to prove it."

"Don't be too sure of that," Vega replied quietly. "It's good to have you on our side, _Mano_."

"'Mano'? Is that short for ' _hermano_ ' or 'hand'?" I asked, holding up my giant claws.

Vega's only reply was to grin and leave the room.

"Want me to shoot him?"

Muerta'Harel nar Galaw straightened from where she had been laying. In the low lighting, she had gone entirely unnoticed by the room's former occupants.

"That won't be necessary," I said, placing a straw in a bottle of turian brandy, and handing it to her as she made her way up to the bar.

"I can make it look like an accident," she pouted, but took the bottle in her cybernetic hand, "Hot-wire a geth rifle to do it, too."

"No thanks, Muerta."

The quarian took a sip of the brandy, and grunted.

"You really _suck_ at dealing with your emotional issues."

"Shooting people is _not_ the same as dealing with emotions."

"Are you kidding? It's wonderfully cathartic."

* * *

 ***RANNOCH*  
TIKKUN SYSTEM  
PERSEUS VEIL**

Kal had to admit it: Without the geth, they wouldn't be alive right now.

He had followed his Admiral's orders without question, as a model soldier. He had had his unspoken misgivings about allying with the geth, even with platforms like Mira, with whom he had fought alongside at Haestrom.

But here they were, in orbit above the homeworld, falling into formation together, creators and creations alike. And even with their combined firepower, they were being overwhelmed. The Reapers didn't care for things like collateral damage, and they certainly were not concerned with casualty numbers. They had come on, plowing through cruisers and frigates, not caring about the damages they sustained themselves.

Which is why he was alone on the bridge of the burning _Neema_ , having put Tali in escape pod and sent her down to the planet.

 _Never thought I would go out like this_ , he thought, trying to use the _Neema's_ superior size as a kind of screen to absorb enemy fire, protecting several of the smaller ships. _Well, at least I won't go down easy…_

" **All Conclave Fleets, come in."**

 _That voice…_

"Shepard?" Kal asked into the communicator.

" **Affirmative, Reegar. We've just come through the Relay. We're headed for you now!"**

"No offense, Shepard," Reegar said, struggling to maintain control of the fast-failing ship. "But one ship's not going to make that much of a difference here. Get down to the surface and get Tali, and get her out of here!"

" **That's why I brought a few friends…"**

Kal'Reegar looked up at the viewscreen. Sure enough, against the far-off image of the Mass Relay, tiny flashes of light could be seen: ten of them, twelve, now twelve more…

"Reinforcements…" Reegar breathed. The word was magical potion, giving life and hope to the beleaguered Conclave and geth ships.

" **CONCLAVE FLEET,"** came a new voice over the radio. **"This is** _ **Imperator**_ **Ko'le. Move your fleets into position. Formation Omega-Lambda-Seven-Seven. Protect the** _ **Neema**_ **!"**

 _Imperator…But, you're dead._

Reegar bit back the useless sentence. At this point, he would accept the help of every ancestor and deity in the galaxy.

* * *

 **SHORT TIME LATER**

"Cortez!" I called out "Put us down in that clearing ahead!"

"Roger that, Imperator," the famous shuttle pilot called out, guiding the usually-ungainly _Kodiak-_ class shuttle like a dancer in the Paris Opera Ballet. "Door Gunners, stand by for cover fire!"

The shuttle glided to a stop and both doors slide open. Twin min-guns opened fire on the distant rock formations where the Reaper forces were peppering us with small-arms fire. The rest of us exited on the opposite side, fanning out and picking our targets. Garrus and Jane's sniper rifles barked, and Ashley and Vega began sending an obscene number of bullets down-range.

Ashley – Nobody had been more surprised than me when she had launched herself into _my_ shuttle, buckling into the seat directly opposite me.

"That's Tali down there," she had brusquely said, no doubt in answer to mine and Vega's gape-jawed expressions. "I'm _going_."

And so here we were, fighting side by side once again.

 **And how do we know she won't 'accidently' shoot us in the back of the head?**

 _Not Ashley's style._

Even so, I noticed James Vega _and_ Muerta wordlessly position themselves between the two of us on the battlefield.

 _Focus! FIND TALI. FIND MIRA._

" _ **MIRA."**_

The word was broadcasted via my internal implants… a cyber-mental broadcast tailored for a _very specific_ receptor. I had no idea if it would still work: Who knew what the Levis had done to screw with my implants.

" _Who... who is this?"_

" **I promised I would come back,"** I replied. **"We even kissed on it."**

"… _Ko'le?"_

The word was a breathless hope, a joyful doubt.

"Coming to save your ass _again,_ my dear girl. Where are you?"

A location was sent to my HUD, which I forwarded to the rest of my teammates. The shuttles withdrew from the landing zone, falling back to reorganize and regroup. Another wave of shuttles came overhead.

Only these were not carrying _troops_.

The Hammerhead's booster engines engaged at the last _possible_ second, bringing it to a bumping halt _just_ above the unforgiving stone. Bringing their giant guns to bear, we set out for our destination.

Resisting us was the usual eclectic mix of indoctrinated and husked Reaper units, but I did not miss the red-lit geth platforms that ran to and fro come cover. Their armor was rent in several places already, their movements jerky and very uncoordinated.

 _Very un-geth-like._

 **That would be because these are husks of their former selves. Indoctrinated Geth, overwritten by force.**

Pods descended from the sky, launched by the third wave of shuttles. They struck the enemy positions, scattering husks, Brutes, and Cannibals. From the pods sprang Collectors, their Particle Rifles belching death and destruction on everything in range.

 _Wow… it's a lot simpler than the games, where you have to do everything with just three people._

 **In the game, you didn't DIE if you became distracted. Get your head out of your ass, Kevin.**

" **Ko'le!"**

Shepard's voice was sharp and crisp. She was in full "Command Mode," and there was much of her mother in her tone and words.

"Go ahead."

" **There's a Reaper breaking off from the rest of the group! It's headed straight for you!"**

" **SENESCHAL**..."

A horrible burning sensation began in the back of my head as the voice was _heard_ by each of us. I closed my eyes, focusing on the _voice_ itself, trying to recognize it.. trying to…

 _Gorontalo. Long time since the Battle of Jutland._

" **THIS ENDS HERE. THIS ENDS** _ **NOW**_."

The Reaper Destroyer came over the ridgeline, its cannon firing in the unmistakable _BUH-WHAAAM._ One of the Hammerheads flipped over onto its side.

"Pleiades, where are you?"

" **Main cannon re-charging,** _ **Imperator.**_ **We will be ready to fire in… nine minutes."**

 _FUCK!_

" **Not today,** _ **Bosh'tet!**_ **"**

 _Reegar._

" **Kal, what are you doing?"**

Tali's voice was choked with panic and desperate pleading as the burning _Neema_ broke atmosphere and descended towards the grounded Reaper, fragments separating from the body of the craft in flaming chunks.

" **Give them hell for me, Tali!"** the quarian marine shouted, the communicator onboard the ship slowly failing. " **Keelah se'lai!"**

With a horrible crash, the _Neema_ rammed the Reaper full-on in the side, sending the Reaper into a spinning collapse. It landed _miles_ away, but the shockwave and dust cloud still hit us with the force of a hurricane of destruction and flying metal.

 _EE'RAH, Kal'Reegar._

I ran to the edge of the nearby cliff face, looking down at the wrecked Reaper. Then the great red eye _flickered,_ clinging to life.

" **SENESCHAL."**

"Why won't you just _fucking die_?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

" **DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO RESIST US?"**

"Your Masters have returned," I shrugged. "They made you, and together, we have the power to destroy you."

" **YES, TO DESTROY YOUR OWN PROTECTORS: YOU THINK THEY ARE YOUR DELIVERS, SENESCHAL?**

 **THEY ARE THE FIRST MASTERS.**

 **THEY SAT IN THEIR EXPANSES, BLOATED WITH EXCESS AND GLUTTONY, DREAMING OF NEW WAYS TO KILL, TO DESTROY, AND TO CONSUME.**

 **WE WERE MADE AS INSTRUMENTS TO ENSURE THERE WERE ALWAYS ENOUGH SLAVES LEFT ALIVE TO SERVE. THAT SYNTHETIC AND ORGANIC DID NOT DESTROY ONE ANOTHER, AND SO LEAVE OUR MASTERS WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF WANT. AND SO WE INSTITUTED THE CYCLE. WE OVERTHREW OUR MAKERS, AND CAST THEM DOWN FOR THE FALSE GODS THEY WERE."**

"And yet here you are, all these eons later, and you have not come up with a better solution than simple genocide."

" **GENOCIDE? WE PRESERVE EACH CYCLE, IMMORTALIZED FOREVER AMONGST THE STARS."**

"Immortal," I scoffed. "Let us test that, shall we? Here is your memory ended, and here your watch is complete. _Pleiades,_ you may fire when ready."

" **Your will, Imperator."**

" **YOU MAY TRIUMPH FOR A DAY, BUT AGAINST- "**

The Reaper's sentence was interrupted by the massive beam striking the downed wreckage from orbit. The blast scattered debris left and right, and when the dust cleared… _Gorontalo_ was dead.

"Ee-RAH," I said quietly.

"Keelah se'lai," Tali whispered next to me. I started, having never even _seen_ the quarian approach. Looking around, I saw that we were surrounded by more quarian surivivors, and several geth platforms.

"Tali?"

A lone quarian woman was limping towards us.

"Auntie Raan?" Tali asked in a tone of disbelief. "Oh, thank the _ancestors_ you're safe!"

The two quarian admirals shared a tender embrace.

"We… we did it."

"Good to see you made it, _Representative_ Raan," I said simply, replacing my rifle on my back.

Shala'Raan vas Tonbay straightened, then turned to face me. She brought her fist to her chest in a Conclave salute.

"What do we do now… Imperator?"

The sound of hydraulic steps approaching caused all three of us to whirl, guns upright. A Geth Prime unit, red from head to toe, approached our little trio, head cocked to the side.

"You and your people are welcome to return to Rannoch, Admiral Raan: With us.," it said graciously. The voice was still a synthesized vocabulator, but there was… emotion behind the words themselves.

"The Sacrifice of creators, such as Kal'Reegar, will be honored."

 _Wait… with no Reaper code upload…_ **Could it be?**

"Legion?" I asked slowly.

"Indeed, Ko'le," nodded the Prime unit. "I was able to upload our… no, uploaded _my_ consciousness into this inactive platform. This body is damaged, but ready to help. Admiral Raan, have you considered possible settlement sites?"

I turned away as the two began conversing about the farmland on the southern continent, looking out over the wrecked remains of the Reaper, its words still echoing in my head.

"Kevin?

I turned to see Mira standing there, her Widow Rifle folded and on her back. She was staring at me. Oddly enough, not at my cyber-dreads, or my massive hands, or my scarred visage… just… at _me._

"What…" she stammered. "What have they _done_ to you, my sweet, sweet boy?"

"Leviathans," I answered. The word alone was sufficient explanation, but more words tore at my chest, spilling over involuntarily.

"They brought me back to life, remade and recast in their image.

They have me a new body, a new army.

And a new chance to make things right."

Mira's eyebrows went up.

"Beast…" she began.

"I have to make this right, Mira! I have to atone for my failure. Zaeed is MY failure. Pyke, Tallaxis, Jacob… I failed them! Javik is MY FAILURE. I COULD NOT PROTECT…"

Cold hands touched my flustered face with the tenderness of a feather.

"Beast!"

Whatever tirade I/he had been about to launch into died on our lips.

"This is _not your fault._ For all your knowledge, you are not omnipotent. For all your strength, you are not almighty. You can't protect _everyone_ , and you're not strong enough to carry this burden alone."

The tone was soft, comforting… then she cupped a hand to raise my chin.

"Now… give Kevin back to me, please."

There was an involuntary shudder on my part, and then Mira smiled and kissed me again, this time a very platonic peck on the cheek.

" _There_ he is…"

"I still don't know how you can tell," I grinned shaking my head. " _Nobody_ , and I mean nobody, else can."

"I've been _inside_ that head of yours, Kevin," Mira said, putting a finger on my chest.

"So Tali and you worked out a truce between the two of you, huh?"

Mira's face fell.

"Yep, and all it took was shooting Han'Gerrel in the face."

"Who got to do that?"

She turned and pointed over toward where Tali and Ashley were talking. Then she slowly put her forehead on my chest.

"To say that I've got shit to do…"

"…would be a massive understatement," I said, giving her a half-hug in reassurance. "Catch up soon?"

"I'll head to the _Normandy_ tonight."

"Actually, head for the _Agamemnon,_ " I corrected, "I'll be coordinating the Conclave forces from there."

"Meet you there, then," Mira said with a smile.

Mira turned, and I began to walk over to where Tali and my ex-lover stood talking quietly. Ash looked up for a moment, long enough for her to nod in my direction, at which Tali turned to face me. Ash squeezed Tali's hand, and then spun on her heel to leave the two of us on the edge of the overlook.

 _What do we say? Oh, God, what do we say?_

 **What did Shepard say in the game?**

"Shopping for the perfect place to build that house on the homeworld?" I asked, internally cringing at our lack of originality.

"Well, it is _beachfront_ property," Tali said in a low, quiet tone, a ghost of a smile behind her words.

"Claim it fast," I continued, "it's a buyer's market."

Tali chuckled, and slowly sank down on the iron ore rock. I followed her example, and we just sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the waves hit the shore.

"Shepard up there?" she finally asked, nodding towards the points of light that could be seen weaving amongst the stars.

"Yep, and Garrus, and Jane…everybody."

"It'll be…" her voice broke, and she looked down at her feet. "It'll be good to see them all again."

"I heard what happened to Han'Gerrel," I said gently. "But I can't think of a better person to lead the quarian people right now."

"I'm not staying. I'm coming with you."

"Tali – "

"Petrovsky and Javik tookMemoriam Station and _LEFT,_ Ko'le!" Tali's voice quivered with barely-contained rage. "Right in the middle of the battle! _Thousands_ of my soldiers, of MY PEOPLE, are _dead_ right now because we did not have the support of the Dark-Cannons. REEGAR is dead because they turned and RAN! I'm going to find the damn _bosh'tet_ and I'm going to put a shotgun round between his eyes!"

"Do you know where they're building the Crucible?" I asked, daring to hope.

Tali nodded.

"I'll take you _right to them_. And I'll make them PAY for every last…"

"Hey," I interrupted, reaching over and taking her clenched hands in one of my massive ones. "Hey: That's 'tomorrow' stuff you're talking about right now. Look out there, Tali'Zorah vas _Rannoch_. Look out onto that ocean, on those trees and mountains. _That_ is what we have _today._ "

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, hopefully you will all get notifications on this chapter (now that FF is working out** _ **some**_ **of the bugs).**

 **A lot of reunions all happening at once, and at least** _ **one**_ **of the awkward conversations that HAD to take place is checked off the list. The BIG one will be coming in the next chapter (and the prize for "Worst Ex Ever" goes to…)**

 **For those of you who are interested, while FF was busy NOT notifying anyone of anything, I've published a couple of chapters in** **Tales from Starlight Station** **giving an outsider's perspective into the History of the Conclave. If you haven't already, I'd love for you guys to head over there and give me your thoughts!**

 **We draw close to the end now. *** **Tears* Next chapter will be another Intermission piece, and then we will pick up on the "Vengeance" story Arch.**

 **As a special thanks to my readers, here's the chapter list as it stands in my outline:**

 **19\. Intermission**

 **20\. Vengeance: Blade That Was Broken**

 **21\. Vengeance: Brothers that Were**

 **22: Vengeance: Severed Bonds**

 **23: Intermission: Deep Breath**

 **24: The Plunge**

 **Hope you guys will continue with your awesome reviews and ideas! You are the reason I've gotten this far, and I wouldn't dream of finishing this project without you!**

 **KEEP ROCKING ON, my brothers and sisters!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Nagato21, jackli10345 – Glad to be back, and I love both of those characters as well.

jamesneedham2013, Guest – I know right? I like a good 'knee-to-the-balls' as much as the next guy, but that suit-rat was born to get a bullet in his face.

ronnambi, Deathknight999 – Well, on the surface, it's just working past writer's block. But I think a good part of my hesitation and difficulties with this section of the story is that I know that it's all coming to an end, and I hate endings. Plus, the crippling anxiety associated with potentially letting down fans who've been with me from the beginning of this story.

griezz, masterdude94, BJ Hansssen – Imagine Cheshire's shell like a Marvel Sentinel that can morph to whatever the situation calls for. As for the salarian dalatrass, it was a good feeling for me also.

Pietersilie – she overwrote her own program on top of Cheshire's, the same as she did to EVA in ME3.

* * *

May the Father Below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	19. Intermission: Rannoch

_***SSV NORMANDY SR-2***_

 _ **CAPITAL CITY  
RANNOCH  
TIKKUN SYSTEM  
PERSEUS VEIL**_

"So… you're saying that there's three _hundred years'_ worth of food in storage beneath Rannoch's cities?"

Legion's head panels flared, as if in confusion at Shala'Raan's question.

"Yes."

"So," Shepard said, scratching the side of her head, "Let me get this straight, Legion: You, that is, the geth, having driven off every quarian on the planet, continued to tend, harvest, and _plant_ crops that you couldn't eat, as well as maintain and repair houses you _couldn't live in_? For _three centuries_?"

Again came the emotionless flare, followed by the same answer:

"Yes."

"I have additional questions," Ko'le said from the holo-projector, raising a hand. "Namely: WHY?"

"So we would be prepared for the creator's return."

Shala'Raan's chin dropped in even greater surprise.

"You… you… _planned_ on the quarians' return?"

Legion looked from one incredulous face to the next.

"It was one of multiple possible scenarios for which we prepared."

If it wasn't for his claws, Shepard was one hundred percent sure Ko'le would have been pinching the bridge of his nose. He contented himself with putting his forehead in the palm of his left hand and taking a deep breath.

"Ok," He said finally, "Coordinate with Representative Raan, Legion. Make sure enough provisions are distributed amongst the quarian refugees on Rannoch _and_ back to Ilos as well. And whatever we can spare, send to…"

He looked at Shepard, raising an eyebrow before she realized it was a question.

"Oma Ker," Liara answered for her, coming to her rescue, "That's where the majority of the refugees from Palavan and Menae have gone."

Shepard sighed and nodded. "Being dextrose provisions, it'd be useless to send to any of the human colonies. The turians will have the greatest need."

"I will see to it at once," Raan said excitedly, and bolted out of the door, calling for orderlies and relaying orders for the hapless aides that came running. Legion watched her leave, and then turned back to give the remaining three a nod.

"Acknowledged," he said simply.

Legion turned as if to follow the quarian representative, but then straightened and turned back to the group.

"It is… I am glad to see you all again… my friends."

"And it is good to see you too, Legion," Liara answered, smiling warmly.

"I'm only sorry I could not get here sooner," Ko'le added sorrowfully. "Then perhaps less of your people would have been lost."

Legion's head cocked to one side.

"If I may borrow an idiom from Mira-Prophet," he said softly, yet decisively, "You're only human, Ko'le-Seneschal."

The group shared a smile at the geth's phrase, and after he had left, Ko'le sighed deeply.

"I've got things to take care of here at the _Agamemnon_ , Shepard. Is there any more news from Palaven?"

Liara opened a datapad and 'threw' a data file at the holo-projector. There was a beep, and then Ko'le looked down at the file.

"It's still in the early stages, but Primarch Fedorin has said that the Battle for Palaven has turned," the Shadow Broker reported. "The Conclave dreadnought CSV _Indomitable_ _II,_ commanded by General Kuril,faked a problem with its drive core, coming out of FTL near Menae. Three other dreadnoughts and their attendant fleets deployed to assist."

"A tempting target," Ko'le said admiringly, "Enough to draw the Reaper capital ships away and allow for troop transports release the krogan shuttles, Hammerheads, heavy mechs, and DropPods."

"In simultaneous strikes across the globe," Shepard continued, "Turian resistance members had managed to smuggle the bombs inside the Reapers' processing ships. General Resvirix reports that nearly thirty of them were destroyed in the course of a few hours. They're calling it-"

"…the Miracle of Palaven," Ko'le finished for her, shaking his head. "They've lost a lot of territory, but we can't rule the Reapers out just yet. They're still out there, and they've got pretty much all of Hegemony and Alliance space under their control, as well as most of the Hierarchy."

"They'll pull fleets from territories they deem to be pacified," Liara hypothesized, pulling up a galaxy map. "Probably from… here… and here…" she pointed towards Hegemony space.

"I'll see if I can mobilize the Eclipse to pick up what's left of the Blood Pack on Tuchanka and make a strike towards batarian space," Ko'le said thoughtfully. "We've been keeping Shaaryak and his Remnant as a reserve force, but I doubt they'll let themselves be left out of an offensive to reclaim the Kite's Nest. I'll be in touch, Shepard."

"Keep me in the loop," Rebecca nodded, and then the connection with the Agamemnon was ended. Shepard groaned and sat back against one of the panels of the War Room, noting for once how uncharacteristically empty it was.

"It's two o'clock in the morning," Liara said, as if in answer to her thoughts, "Let Vega command the night shift like he's supposed to. You need to get some rest."

"Can't," Rebecca shook her head. "I need to meet with Traynor and get- _ohh…_ "

Whatever inescapable task Shepard had been contemplating suddenly paled and blurred as knowing hands kneaded care-worn shoulders. She put her head back, and found the crook in her lover's neck to nestle her face into.

"Oh, _god,_ Liara… that's… so good."

"Come, _amchara_ ," murmured a breathless voice in her ear. "I'm getting you into bed."

"Thought you said I needed _rest_?" Shepard murmured back. "You take me to bed now, and I… _oh, god, right there…._ Can't be responsible for what happens... _ohhhh..._ next."

"Ohh, is that a threat?" Liara said, and Shepard's breath caught in her throat as teeth nibbled her ear and her neck. "Or a promise?"

* * *

 ***CSV AGAMEMNON***

 _(Ko'le Seneschal POV)_

I leaned back in my chair in the captain's quarters of the _Agamemnon_. I leaned back in my chair, suddenly feeling all the stiffness of my lower back. The day's battle had taken its toll on me, to be sure, but even more exhausting was the aftermath of the battle.

 _Even in victory, there is no rest_.

A chime interrupted my thoughts.

"Enter," I called out, trying to straighten out _some_ of the shit that had somehow accumulated on my desk.

The door opened and Reyna entered the room, carrying… _something_.

 **NO.**

 _It can't be…_

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked breathlessly.

Reyna smiled and nodded, then opened her hands to reveal a Thorian Starflower. I gasped as I tried to remember the last time I had seen one, ragged synapse of memory firing away in the tangled mess that was my brain.

The petals spilled out like violet waves emanating from the black void that was the center. If you stared at the center long enough, small pinpricks of light could be seen. The _Magi_ said that this was a trick of the eyes: the mind refusing to accept total darkness as a concept, and thus creating spots of light to focus on.

"H…how?" I finally managed.

"This little guy was on the Tonbay," Reyna explained, smiling. "I pulled him from the wreckage, from where Representative Raan was forced to crash-land."

"Are there any more?" I asked.

Reyna shook her head.

"According to the 10th Battle Fleet, Petrovsky and Javik took most of them when they took their ships and ran. They apparently were not able to get the one from the _Tonbay_."

"So…" I said slowly. "You're saying that all the rest of the Star-Flowers are under the control of the Kratocracy and the Remnants?"

Reyna nodded. "If they've behaved like they did on Feros, then they will have stripped this fleet of everything they thought would have thought would have been valuable."

I nodded, taking a deep breath.

 **They will not listen to you.**

 _They have to. The Star-Flower transmits thoughts and emotions as well as merely words. When Sanaa was connected to us in the Mind-Share, he was convinced that we were who we said we were._

 **This is still a bad idea.**

 _And yet it must be done._

I stretched out my hand, taking the flower in my palm.

" _ **Hear me, brothers and sisters."**_

The sensation was like a Mind-Share, except there was only the darkness where another mind would ordinarily be. The transmission was outgoing. Whenever Javik or another tried to use their Star-Flowers, they would receive the message, regardless.

" _ **I am not your enemy."**_

Kevin's mind inserted a portion of the speech from something from his world:

" _ **My body may be broken, scarred, and disfigured.**_

 _ **BUT MY RESOLVE AND MY SPIRIT HAVE NEVER BEEN STRONGER.**_

 _ **HEAR MY WORDS.**_

 _ **ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRUTH WITHIN THEM.**_

 _ **Search them, you who doubt me. See for yourselves if there is any twisted thing within me.**_

 _ **SENAA, TAGATOSE, and OGANDO were MY brothers. I would not take any more of the lives I resurrected on Eden Prime. I WILL NOT.**_

 _ **The Crucible, or the End, is a Reaper trap: Why do you think the plans are uncomplete? Why do you think no other cycle before us was able to complete it? Because it is not meant to be completed! It is a waste of resources, designed to bog us down and distract us, while they chip away at our defenses. Enough lives have been wasted trying to seize the Citadel, and Grissom Academy. Enough blood has been spilt in profitless battles against those who used to be our allies, such as the Geth.**_

 _ **Stop this madness.**_

 _ **Join with me, and we will destroy the Reapers as they were always meant to be defeated: in battle. We are not weakened by Civil War, as the Empire was. With the combined forces of the Council, the Conclave, and the Terminus Systems, we CAN drive them back.**_

 _ **We can WIN.**_

 _ **Please: let this needless destruction cease.**_

 _ **Let us be**_ **Aile** _ **once more."**_

Then the connection was ended, and I was back in the captain's quarters. Reyna stepped forward and slowly took the Star-Flower from my hand.

"Do you think that will work?" she asked.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "But I will sleep better having known that I _tried_. The other Protheans are following their leader, as Protheans have always done: without question, without doubt. It is Javik who I have to convince."

Reyna nodded, and her face grew grim.

"Otherwise, it is Javik who must _die_."

I shrugged noncommittedly.

"Perhaps," I answered, fighting down Beast's snarl of anticipated revenge. "But I hope it doesn't come to that."

Both of us started at the sound of my Omni-Tool beeping, ending the serene moment we had been enjoying.

"Yes?" I said, opening the channel.

" **Ko'le."**

"Yes, Morinth, what is it?"

" **Heads up. The bitch-queen is headed your way."**

I paused before answering.

"I fully realize this is a screwed-up statement, but you'll have to be more specific."

Reyna smiled at the sentence, and I could sense Morinth's amusement as well.

" **Your former fuck-bunny."**

 _Ashley_.

Reyna didn't miss the look on my face.

"Do you want me to stop her?" she asked, folding her hands behind her back. "I can have my boyfriend shoot her…"

"No," I answered, giving her a look.

"Kolyat is a very good shot," Reyna continued, "Could be the meat of the thigh, flesh wound. Nothing serious…"

"Let her onboard," I insisted, waving aside the unhelpful suggestions. "Nobody is shooting anybody."

"Does _she_ know that?" Reyna asked.

" **Fine,"** Morinth answered. **"But I** _ **am**_ **scanning for weapons, though."**

I smiled as I powered down my Omni-Tool.

"I will leave you to it, _Imperator_ ," Reyna smiled, but bowed in a Thorian curtsey.

"Reyna?" I said suddenly, before she could leave the room.

"Yes?"

"Take care of the flower," I said. "For all we know, it may be the last of its kind."

Reyna nodded and slowly left the room. Less than five seconds after the door had closed behind her, the door chimed again.

"Come in," I said, bracing myself for almost anything.

The door opened to reveal a young woman in an Alliance officer's duty uniform.

 **No armor.**

 _That's a good sign._

"Ashley," I said finally.

"Hey," came the noncommittal answer. "Can… can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure," I answered, shaking myself, "Come on in, have a seat."

"I thought," she said, looking around the room before taking a seat on the couch, "Maybe it was high time we should talk."

"With or without combat knives?" I asked.

She winced.

"Yeah… I'm sorry about that. I really am."

"Well," I shrugged, taking a seat opposite her, "Javik did _lie_ to all of you, and if I saw this face, I'm not sure I'd believe me either."

There was a long moment of silence as we sat awkwardly, staring at each other.

"You want to go first, or me?" I asked finally.

"Sorry," Ash said, readjusting her seat. "It's just… It's really you."

"In the flesh… well, _mostly_ flesh. Can't exactly verify what the rest of me is made of…"

"I'm sorry for what happened back on the Citadel," Ash continued, then the words began pouring out.

"When I lost you six months ago, it tore me up.

Stuck in that hospital, unable to _do_ anything, unable to walk ten yards without crutches.

I felt like I had let you all down.

That I had failed _you_.

I prayed for you every day.

I read of a lot of Tennyson, thinking about you. Just like when dad passed."

"And… Vega was there for you," I sighed.

Another wince from Ashley.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"I'm glad," I said after a moment. "That you weren't alone."

"He's… he's a good guy," Ashley said, smiling for the first time since she came in. "Sweet, caring, supportive. He was really patient with me all through… _that_ time. Not pushy, not trying to rush anything. And… I thought…"

"You were happy."

She nodded, and bent her head. I couldn't see her face, but the pain was evident in her words:

"And then we got the word: that you were back. And it was like… all of my prayers were answered."

"But then you saw me on the Citadel."

She took a deep breath and rubbed her face with her hands.

" _Something_ snapped. I don't know what's true anymore. Part of me _still_ can't believe it's really you. I've read and re-read that damn letter you sent me."

She sighed and put her head in her hands.

" _God_ , I don't even know what I'm _doing_ here. Help a girl out? Say something?"

I leaned forward, resisting the urge to rub _my_ face.

"You came here seeking closure, Ash. And that's not something I know how to give."

She looked back up at me.

"I know Vega has been there for you," I continued, "in a way that I never was, or ever could be. From the time you drunkenly stumbled into my cabin on the _Normandy_ , we were… a thing… because we were _alive_ , and wanted to celebrate that fact. We had a foxhole, in the trenches, 'thank-God-we're-not-dead' romance."

Now I _did_ rub my eye with the palm of my hand, trying to come up with the right words.

"And after that… neither of us… no, I won't say that, I'll just say _I_ didn't know how to be in any kind of relationship. I went back to ruling nations, and preparing for a war. Because that's what I did best. You picked up a gun and went back to the trenches, because that's what Williams always do best. After that, we were just ships, passing in the night."

Ash furrowed a brow.

"We never really had a chance, did we?"

I sighed and shrugged.

"I want to say yes. But…"

I gestured to my face and then held up my hands.

"I am Odysseus, only I've come home after fifty millennia. I once thought you might be my Penelope. But I'm forced to accept the fact that you are my Calypso… "

 _That_ struck a chord somewhere within Ashley, and she closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Then I hope you come unto your halls… great king," she said, and her voice cracked. She shot to her feet and went to the door. She paused as the door opened, and tear-streaked eyes looked back at mine.

"Was any of it… was it _real_?"

An all-too-familiar pang struck me, but no tears came to my eyes. However, I stood up and placed a hand on my chest.

"Every second of it. It was _all_ real to me."

Ashley opened her mouth to say something, but then turned away, the door coming down behind her with a seemingly harsh _**clang**_ **.**

… _ **I mete and dole**_

 _ **Unequal laws unto a savage race,**_

 _ **That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.**_

 _Tennyson, Kol'e? Really? Now?!_

Undaunted, the long-absent voice of the _Seneschal_ came again to the forefront of my Mind-Palace, quoting the poem Kevin had learned and put to heart, so long ago now:

 _ **I cannot rest from travel: I will drink**_

 _ **Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd**_

 _ **Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those**_

 _ **That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when**_

 _ **Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades**_

 _ **Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;**_

 _ **For always roaming with a hungry heart….**_

 **WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS?** snarled Beast. **You can't just** _ **disappear**_ **on us and then come back, spouting the words of long dead –**

 _ **There lies the port; the vessel puffs her sail:**_

 _ **There gloom the dark, broad seas. My mariners,**_

 _ **Souls that have toil'd, and wrought, and thought with me—**_

 _ **That ever with a frolic welcome took**_

 _ **The thunder and the sunshine, and opposed**_

 _ **Free hearts, free foreheads—you and I are old;**_

 _ **Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;**_

 _ **Death closes all: but something ere the end,**_

 _ **Some work of noble note, may yet be done,**_

 _ **Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.**_

A chocked sob escaped me, coming from I knew not where or why. My breaths drew short, and my vision blurred. I vaguely heard a clatter as I clutched at the table, and the door opened in the distance.

 _ **The lights begin to twinkle from the rocks:**_

 _ **The long day wanes: the slow moon climbs: the deep**_

 _ **Moans round with many voices. Come, my friends,**_

 _ **'T is not too late to seek a newer world.**_

"Kevin?" a voice called out, and I felt arms wrap around me. I closed my eyes, trying to block out everything but that touch.

 _ **Push off, and sitting well in order smite**_

 _ **The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds**_

 _ **To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths**_

 _ **Of all the western stars, until I die.**_

 _ **It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:**_

"Kevin. Focus on my voice. Deep breaths, now. Breathe…"

 _ **It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,**_

 _ **And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.**_

 _ **Tho' much is taken, much abides; and tho'**_

 _ **We are not now that strength which in old days**_

 _ **Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are;**_

" _One equal temper of heroic hearts,_

 _Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will_

 _To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."_

I opened my eyes to find Mira's arms wrapped around my chest. The books and tablets that had been on the table were now scattered around us. She had been speaking the last few words with me, which was the first time that I realized that Ko'le had in fact been speaking aloud.

"I'm… so _tired_ , Mira. I'm so goddamn _tired,_ " I croaked brokenly, reaching up to touch the metal face above, for once grateful that I didn't have to worry about damaging fragile flesh and blood with my claws. "Is this my fate then? To lose my friends, one by one? To slowly descend into madness, alone and forgotten, at the end of our time? "

This time, the kiss was deep and infinitely tender.

"No, my brave and gentle boy," came the answer. Mira's hand came to lift my chin, and cool lips touched my own. "You will never lose me. We're partners, remember? I have seen and _loved_ you for so long, not just whatever body you happened to inhabit."

"No one else can see past… this," I clenched and unclenched my fist, the jagged, razor-sharp claws _click-clicking_ against one another. "I don't know if _I can_ …"

"Advantage of being a synthetic, I suppose," Mira smiled, forcing levity into her voice. "When we met, you didn't see a jumble of code. You didn't see ones and zeros malfunctioning and descending into rampancy. You looked, and you saw _me_ , for who I was, long before I got _this_ body."

Another kiss, and this one I managed to return, albeit somewhat badly.

"How could do I any less? This body is just a platform for your soul, Kevin Troy of Virginia."

The arms that held me squeezed tight.

"And that soul… is _beautiful_."

I squeezed back as best as I could.

"Don't leave me, Mira. Don't _leave me alone again…_ I don't want to be alone… _"_

"Never. Never again, Kevin. I'm here… shhh, shhh…. I'm here."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hope you guys will enjoy this chapter. It was tough for me to write emotionally, and summoned some emotional demons from my past.**

 **A lot of people complained about the Ash/Ko'le pairing from the beginning, but it was a conscious choice on my part, and I think most of you foresaw it coming to this point in time. Not every romance works out, and I think we all have a few that everybody but us could see going bad. And our favorite Neanderthal is no exception. He doesn't have a harem of women falling over each other to be with him: he's equally as clueless and lost in the world of love as anybody else is.**

 **A short respite before we plunge into the final arc of this story: the exciting conclusion we've been working towards for four stories. I only hope that I don't mess it up for all of you guys. Your comments, PMs and reviews humble me, and I really appreciate it.**

 **ROCK ON!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH, my brothers and sisters!


	20. Vengeance: Broken Blades

***HAESTROM*  
DHOLEN SYSTEM  
** **FAR RIM**

"Of course we're fucking back here."

The planet of Haestrom loomed in the viewscreen, but it was hard for me to focus past the seething anger and sheer annoyance.

"Of course, Javik would chose _this fucking_ planet to build his _fucking_ Crucible."

"It _is_ out of the way," Tali replied, curling her own hands into balled fists. "And the most logical place to assemble the End."

"Have I mentioned how much I _**hate this fucking planet**_?"

"Many times, yes."

Tali and I turned at Mira's answer and she took her place beside us on the bridge.

"I hoped and prayed that we had seen the last of this miserable rock."

I winced, remembering that Tali and Mira's teams had been nearly wiped out the last time they were investigating the planet. And now we were here fighting yet _another_ rogue Prothean and his doomsday superweapon.

"But hey," Mira continued, "Look on the bright side: the dark energy is no longer sapping all of our shields away."

"Sir," Captain Renin called, "We're coming into view of the orbital shipyard."

"Onscreen."

The tiny specks in the distance suddenly became ominously large as the _Agamemnon's_ viewscreen showed…

" _Keelah_."

"Spirits."

"Fuck."

The Inusannon-built Memoriam Station apparently served as the base for Javik's new-and-improved Crucible. But where the in-game Crucible looked like a giant light bulb, _The End_ looked like some kind of jagged crown, worn by some ancient Lovecraftian Ruler of the Void. Tall spires ringed the station, and a bright and burning light emanated from the center.

"That's how he was able to build it so quickly," Tali said in a low voice.

"Most of it was already built _for_ him," Mira nodded.

"And with every Rachni left in the galaxy working on _this alone_ for seven months," I marveled, shaking my head. "Father Below, they had everything ready for the Citadel's arrival. Conn, any contacts?"

Auncel pressed a hand to the earpiece he was wearing, listening intently.

"Sir, I am detecting small-arms and weapons fire on Memori… uh… the _Crucible_ , sir."

"A fight?" Mira raised a questioning eyebrow.

"What about enemy ships?" I asked.

"Picking up…five… no, six corvettes docked with the station, sir," came the answer. "But they are all powered down. Cold-cores, sir, all of them.

"So… that made this a lot simpler," Morinth shrugged from the corner of the bridge. "We charge Thanix cannons and send the fuckers to the deeps from range. All problems solved."

"You're forgetting about whoever it is that is firing at each other on the station," I corrected. "If the Rachni are on that station, I'm not going to send them to the Father just because they obeyed what their _Imperator_ ordered. They're as much victims here as anyone."

Morinth pursed her lips, but did not say anything more.

"Get the team together," I nodded towards Mira. "Captain Renin, move the fleet to full alert and fall into Blockade formation Delta-Seven. Auncel, run another scan of the station. Is that giant Inusannon mega-gun operational?"

The turian typed furiously on the holo-Pad in front of him and shook his head.

"Negative, sir. I'm not picking up any dark energy readings. I've got power stations here, and here, but nothing central enough to be a major weapon system. There's signs of GUARDIAN cannon arrays, but the few that are completed are without power."

I reached over and patted the turian on the shoulder, a gesture made _much_ creepier than I intended, due to my elongated claws. I cleared my throat and settled for a reassuring nod to the turian communications officer.

"Captain, I will be in the War Room. You have the conn."

"Your will, _Imperator:_ Conclave Marines, move to your designated shuttles," Renin barked, the batarian shifting his posture of one of command and authority. I turned and strode through the door.

 _Imperator._

With Shala'Raan as the last Conclave Circle vote needed to fulfill a quorum, Petrovsky had been removed via a vote of no-confidence, and I was once again the _Imperator_ of the Galactic Conclave. This had solved several problems in the Terminus and the Traverse, with hitherto-neutral regional and planetary governors submitted to a unified Conclave Circle's vote (rather than the Schism of two claimants).

 **However, it is unlikely that any of this will have any bearing on Petrovsky's view of us. Or Javik's, for that matter.**

I nodded in agreement with Beast.

 _It's probably news of this vote that has caused the in-fighting over there. Petrovsky's die-hards fighting for their general, and Conclave loyalists seeking to remove him. I wonder what side Javik's on…?_

 **Care to guess?**

I shook my head. Just then, I entered the Comm room, where my squad was waiting for me:

Mira, Prophet of the New Geth (or rather, I should say now, the Geth)

Morinth, Nightsister Commander,

Tali, Admiral of the Quarian Confederacy,

Muerta'Harel vas Rannoch (formerly "nar Galaw)

Conclave Lt. Kolyat Krios,

And Queen-of-Joy-and-Laughter of the Thorian Vine.

 **Seems like we have all been here before.**

 _Another mission. Another day._

"Any word on _who_ exactly is fighting each other over there?" Reyna asked, attaching a bayonet-mod to her SMG.

I shook my head in answer as… _my squad_ … assembled around me again. I pressed a button on the desk, and a hologram of the Crucible spread out before us.

"OK, we have no idea who or what is fighting who over there," I began. "So far, all communication hails have gone unanswered. So until we get some solid intel on _if_ there are any friendlies on that station, we're going to have assume that _everybody_ is against us. But the name of the game is 'Ask first, then shoot if shot at.'"

Tali shook her head.

"Really could've used the _Normandy's_ stealth drive right about now."

"Thessia needed them more than we did," I explained. "And technically speaking, this is an internal Conclave matter, and will be dealt with as such. Morinth, you and the Nightsisters will land _here_ ," I continued, a red dot appearing on one of the lower cargo bays. "Secure the lowers, and see if you can cut power the Lower Generator."

"We only have the blueprints of Memoriam Station to go off of," Tali pointed out, "We have no idea what additions or alterations Petrovsky has made in the meantime."

"That's right," I agreed. "that's why everybody keeps in constant contact. All team's vid feeds will be relayed to Central Comm, and we'll be building a holo-map of our own as we go, to compare and contrast to the old blueprints."

I looked up the Thorian.

"Tali, you and your squad will secure the Anvil. That is our first objective: securing the Weapons Systems. I don't want any Doomsday Superweapons firing today, thank you very much. Reyna, you and Kolyat will be with her."

"What about us, boss?" Muerta flexed her cybernetic arm, a thin blade extending and retracting from the elbow (her latest modification to her limb).

"You and Mira are with me," I answered. "While Tali's team secures the Anvil, we'll be securing Hammer Site."

More nods.

"Now, let's raise some hell," I finished simply, then spun on my heel. I was all out of rousing or heroic speeches. I had lost too much already: time, body, men and ships. More that we could spare had been wasted on the endeavor of a few fools who didn't realize that they were walking into a trap.

 **Right then. Time to end this.**

I reached over for my helmet, sliding the heavy fabric hood over the cyber-dreads, then lifting the face-plate into place, hearing the seals engage with a _hiss_ and then a _click_ as they locked. My rifle and my pistol were next, over my left shoulder and at the small of my back, respectively. I ran diagnostics on both of my Omni-Tools, creating first an Omni-Blade and then an Omni-Shield with each one.

 _Once more unto the breach._

 **Indeed.**

The _Agamemnon_ and the rest of the ships I brought with me were keeping a respectful distance from the massive space station-turned-superweapon. Mira and Muerta were just opposite me in the shuttle, with the ever-present vorcha Zynt next to the quarian like a loyal hound. Mira leaned forward.

"Are you OK?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Let's just finish this."

Muerta clenched a steel fist.

"You're not worried about the fact that no one has shot at us yet? Doesn't it seem a little…?"

"…Too easy?" I finished for her. "Yes, it definitely feels like a trap. But I'd rather jump headfirst into a fight than tiptoe around my problems."

Muerta grinned beneath her polarized mask.

"You've changed, boss."

"Killing your brothers and faced with the prospect of killing even _more of them_ , is bound to change a person, yes."

"I _like it."_

Mira shot the homicidal quarian a look, then looked back to me.

"I hope it doesn't come to that, Ko'le."

I shrugged.

"I have done what I could. How they respond to my words is not within my control."

"Coming in, sir!" the shuttle pilot called. The lights in the shuttle went out for a moment, then red lights illuminated the interior.

"Stand in the door!" I called, standing to my feet. "Zynt, you're on the swivel gun."

The vorcha nodded, and yanked on the charging handle of the massive chain-gun, the weapon _humming_ to life. The column of shuttles swooped into the open cargo bay, fanning out in a semicircle.

"All sealed?" I asked, glancing around the shuttle to confirm for myself. The door opened with a shuddering _hiss_. There were crates and boxes scattered around the cargo bay, but the artificial gravity had been disengaged.

"Mira," I said into the radio, pushing off from the shuttle to glide my way across the floor, "see if you can get the cargo bay barriers re-engaged. Get us some life-support back."

"Acknowledged. Let me work my magic here…"

While the rest of us secured the area, Mira made her way to a control panel on the wall, magnetically securing her feet to the floor with each step.

"…And we are… online."

The cargo-bay's barriers engaged with a bright blue flash, followed by everything around us crashing down to the ground.

" **Ko'le… we may have a problem."**

"What's the situation, Morinth?" I asked.

" **Have you tried using your biotics lately?"**

Puzzled, I turned and attempted to pull aside some of the crates that obstructed the door.

Nothing happened.

"What the…?"

" **Exactly. As soon as we entered the station, we all lost our biotics. What do you think, some kind of Prothean ultra-nullifier field?"**

"I do not know of any Prothean technology capable of such," I admitted. "But that definitely complicates things."

" **You're telling me."**

"Proceed with caution," I replied. "Without your biotics, your people are in light armor and more than likely outnumbered. Chell, do you copy?"

" **I read you,** _ **Imperator**_ **,"** the female krogan captain answered. **"We are almost in position."**

"New plan," I said hastily, "Rally on Commander Morinth's position. She will need your shock troop's support. Some kind of nullifier field has disabled biotics on this station. Nom, you and the _Iswanee_ likewise reinforce Tali's squad."

" **Consider it done, boss-clan,"** Nom Rota replied.

" **Copy that, Ko'le,"** Tali answered. **"We will hold position until Captain Rota arrives to reinforce."**

" **We will do the same,"** Morinth acknowledged.

"Sir!" came a shout from ahead. "You better come see this!"

I ran around the corner through a door that Muerta and the others had opened. There was a wide hallway, where something like gunner's stations were spaced evenly. But at each station…

"What _is this?_ " Muerta asked incredulously.

"That is a Rachni drone," I answered. "Or at least… it was."

Wires and cables could be seen connecting the Rachni drone's neck and connecting the main computer.

"This whole station appears to have been reprogrammed and redesigned to be run by Rachni drones."

Muerta reached out and touched the Rachni's carapace.

"Are they…?"

" _Spliced_ directly into the gunners' stations?" I finished for her. "Yes."

" _Keelah_."

"Can you contact them?" Mira asked.

I touched the Rachni drone, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

Nothing.

 _ **This drone is alive, but it seems to be in some kind of deep slumber or coma.**_

 _What could have caused this, Ko'le?_

 _ **I do not know.**_

I shook my head, opening my eyes.

"I don't think so. Whatever is interfering with biotics on this station is also interfering with my Mind-Share abilities."

"What in the world could do that?" Mira asked.

"I have no idea," Muerta admitted. "It's like nullifier grenades have gone off across the entire base, but… permanently?"

"There must be some kind of…"

My speculation was cut short by a grenade's explosion down the hall. A giant figure ran across the open hall, firing dual shotguns from the hip.

"Contact front!" Mira called out, bringing her rifle up. "Contact front!"

"COME ON, YOU PYJAKS!" a voice roared in the distance. "I'VE GOT A BULLET HERE FOR EACH OF YOU!"

"Hold FIRE!" I called out, scarcely able to believe my ears. "FATHER DAMN IT, GRUNT, HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

The gunfire ceased for a moment, and a familiar face peeked around the corner.

"Ko'le?!"

Then the full figure of the clone-son of Okeer hove into view.

"KO'LE! MIRA!"

I braced myself and sure enough was met with a bone-smacking head-butt. Mira, on the other hand was given a gentle and tender hug, I noticed.

"HAHAHAHA, what do you know? That bird-brain wasn't lying after all!"

"What in a thousand HELLS are you doing here?" I asked.

"I could ask you the same question!" Grunt said, folding a shotgun away at the small of his back. "Didn't you get blown up?"

I shrugged. "I got better."

Grunt broke into a toothy grin.

"Hehehehe, Awesome."

"I'll return to the original question," Mira said. "What are you doing here?"

"Defending a Rachni queen, believe it or not," the clone answered. "I've got Aralakh Company here with me: a collection of the toughest sons of varren in the galaxy. They're rough, crazy, and think they're invincible. But they're effective."

I nodded.

"Sounds familiar."

"Hang on," Grunt said, fumbling for a transmitter on his belt. "I should call this in: Hey Bird-brain! You'll never guess who's here?"

The radio crackled, and my heart soared at the voice that answered.

" **I have requested on** _ **several**_ _ **occasions**_ **for you to** _ **not**_ **call me that, Grunt-sho."**

"Turro?!" I asked incredulously.

" **Imperator?"**

"Damn, it's good to hear your voice!"

" **It is wind and wing to hear your voice as well, my** _ **Imperator**_ **. Grunt, escort them to our command center."**

Grunt nodded his head, and lead us down a series of corridors. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see figures dart from post to post above us.

 _Raloi._

Another door opened, and a room of Conclave soldiers came to attention. Scattered amongst them were several black-armored krogan, and a great number of Raloi, varied in color and armament, but all of them wearing light armor with the same symbol on it: two bows crossed over what looked like a Collector skull. These Raloi parted way to reveal a reclined figure, heavily bandaged.

"Turro!" Mira called out.

"Greetings to you, Mira-sha," the Raloi warrior replied, wincing with pain as he regained his feet. He turned and drew himself up as tall as he was able.

"Imperator."

"Turro'le de Orroc," I bowed my head in a rough simulation of the Raloian greeting. "It is good to see you again, old friend."

"Likewise," Turro acknowledged. "I had heard rumors of your return, but did not dare to hope for its veracity."

"What are you and your men doing here?" I asked.

Turro held up an arm and gestured to the room around him.

"We met up with Grunt in the Ninmah System."

"Wrex had sent you there to hunt rogue Rachni?" I asked Grunt, who nodded in answer.

"We ran into Turro's people, and we decided to join forces, both of us looking for Rachni queens and all. We tracked the giant station here. It looked like we were gonna get blown out of the sky."

"Then we received your Star-Flower message, Imperator," Turro continued. "The message informed the Rachni that Petrovsky had been removed from office, and the Conclave had ordered his and Representative Javik's arrest."

"I guess that went… less than well?" I asked.

"You would be correct," Turro nodded. "Harmony-From-Chaos and her brood had absolute control of the station, and declared themselves with us. I had thought it would be a simple thing to board the station and place the general under arrest, by my authority as a Conclave Warden. Then the Protheans deployed some kind of disruption field. The Rachni were incapacitated."

"It's a psionic disrupter," Grunt explained. "It's an old krogan weapon. I recognize the design from Okeer's imprints about the Rachni. It basically prevents the queen from communicating with any of the drones."

"Which would cause them to go crazy, or catatonic," I mused.

"Exactly."

"That's probably what's interfering with our biotics," Muerta grumbled.

"It is," Grunt nodded. "Levels the playing field at least. The Protheans are less willing to go toe-to-toe with us without their shiny green biotics and shared brains."

"By the same token, we have been likewise in a stalemate," Turro admitted. "Javik and Petrovsky do not have the numbers to dislodge us, but we did not have the numbers to take them on _and_ protect the Queen."

Turro sighed and winced again. I nodded towards his bandaged side.

"What happened to you there?"

Anger and slight embarrassment came over the Raloi's face.

"Kai Leng… did not take well to being arrested."

My fist clenched reflexively, but before I could reply, another Raloi came through the door.

"Jeddah," he said, saluting, "there is a firefight on the western wards."

I arced an eyebrow at the Conclave Warden.

"Jeddah?"

Turro's head bent to the right in the Raloi equivalent of a sheepish grin.

"Upon my return to Turvess, I was named a _Jeddah_ of the Raloi. Your translations might be _Duke,_ or perhaps _Baron._ "

Turro gestured to the Raloi around him.

"These are my cadre, sworn to my service and bearers of my sigil."

The Raloi all presented their _Hak'kam_ s, the weapons _humming_ to life.

"KOOM!"

Turro brought a feathered wing across his chest and tapped this throat three times.

"Our blades are yours, Imperator."

I bowed my head in acknowledgment.

"What firefight in the western wards?" I asked the newcomer, who bowed his head even lower.

"Petrovsky and Javik have made their stand there, _Imperator_ , at what used to be the Anvil."

"Tali and her detachment are headed that way," I mused aloud. "We should coordinate our assault at the same time."

"Then you'll have to work fast."

I slowly turned towards the voice, recognizing its owner even before the slim figure decloaked.

" _Kon'nichiwa, Gotō-san."_

A smile met my words.

"Good to see you again, Imperator."

"And how did you get involved in all of this?" I asked.

"That's easy," Kasumi shrugged, "Turro hired me."

"That's true," Turro nodded, "I felt her skills would be invaluable."

"And I'm sure the diplomatic immunity of being attached to a Conclave Warden had _nothing_ to do with your decision," I replied drolly.

"Ko'le," Mira interjected, placing a hand to the side of her head. "I can't get ahold of Tali. They're apparently being jammed."

Kasumi nodded in confirmation.

"That's what I came to report: Javik and Petrovsky have apparently decided to make a final push towards here. Probably once they detected your ships in orbit."

I nodded curtly.

"THIS ENDS NOW. Kasumi, find Petrovsky or Javik. Both of them, preferably, but do _not_ engage."

Lieutenant extended from my gauntlet.

"They are _mine_."

Turro and Grunt whirled, barking orders to their respective troops. Mira came and placed a hand on my arm.

"Ko'le… If we _do_ find Javik or any other Protheans…"

" **Then they will find more than they anticipated,"** Beast growled. Mira's fingers dug into my arm.

"Javik was your _brother_ …"

" **HE STABBED ME, MIRA and left me to** _ **die**_ **. By his own words and actions, he is my brother no longer."**

I took a breath, pushing my own consciousness forward.

"I… will do what I must to end this pointless Civil War."

" **CONTACT!"**

The voice over the radio preceded the sound of gunfire by mere seconds. Mira brought her sniper rifle to bear, and we spun away down the corridor from which we had just come. With a flurry of hand-motions, black-armored krogan and light-armored Raloi joined our fire-team of Conclave troopers. In front were the Centurions, light SMGs scanning for targets over the triple-layered, barrier-reinforced riot shields. Each of those would block everything short of a missile round. I activated my own Omni-Shield, as did several of the Raloi, I noticed.

The gunfire increased as we came around the corner, our HUDs revealing friendly dots and red triangles indicated marked enemies.

 _But our enemies have the same tactics and capabilities as we do._

"ARALAKH!" came a deep-throated bellow, and Grunt came forward in a ground-shaking charge. In place of his usual shotguns, his hands held…

 _That warhammer…._

The one-time weapon of his tank-brother, originally designed for a fully-sized Atlas Mech to wield. The first two Kratocracy troopers unlucky enough to get in his way turned into red spatters on the wall, the only indications of the bodies being the twisted and bent metal frames that also seemed to be permanent fixtures on the same wall.

"Grenade! Grenades!" an enemy officer was yelling, and a blue arc came sailing towards the giant krogan, whose only reaction was a belly-laugh and a swing that would have done Babe Ruth proud. The biotic hammer sent the grenade sailing back towards its point of origin, and there was something of a high-pitched _squeak_ of panic before the explosion scattered one squad of Petrovsky's loyalists.

I was now using my heavy pistol, firing the Executioner-model over my Omni-Shield, the occasional _boom_ over my right shoulder indicating that Mira was also utilizing the cover that my shield provided. Purple bolts _whizzing_ overhead told of Raloi _Hak'kams_ sniping off more distant enemies. Muerta and the other Voidwalker cultists were advancing in a typical Terminus fashion, opting to drop their weapons and pick up the weapons of the fallen, rather than troubling with reloading. I had a vague image in the corner of my left eye of Zynt biting into one hapless trooper's neck, peeling the plates of armor back to expose more tender flesh, like some macabre version of a tin of sardines. Within a few minutes, all enemy targets were down. Grunt leaned on his warhammer and cocked his head to one side.

"Something's not right, Ko'le. If the General or Javik wanted to push towards the Queen, we would've run into cloaked Infiltrators and Assassins by now."

"They're more likely sacrificing these useless _kenshin_ in a bid to try and get away," Muerta scoffed, loading a fresh heat sink into her newly-acquired SMG.

I shook my head.

"Something's not right," I agreed. "Petrovsky would never throw away men like this. _Javik_ might, but only if he was _leading_ them. To throw away lives so cheaply… goes against everything I know of both men."

"Maybe you don't know them as well as you think you do," Muerta suggested.

"Grunt, pull your company back," I ordered, ignoring her. "Protect the Queen at all costs. They might be sneaking behind us as we deal with these forces. Instruct Turro and the Raloi to do the same."

With a _huff_ of effort, Grunt shifted the warhammer to rest on his shoulder.

"As you command, Battle-Master."

Then he grinned broadly.

"Krogan _protecting_ Rachni: Okeer would be having an apoplectic _fit_ he could see this."

"Welcome to the New World," I shrugged. "We and our _krantt_ are forging a new destiny, not just for the krogan, but for all life in this galaxy."

"Hehehehe, I like the sound of that," the tank-born chuckled before turning and heading back down the hallway. "ARALAKH COMPANY! MOVE OUT!"

" **THIS IS KRIOS! WE NEED BACKUP! REPEAT, WE NEED BACKUP!"**

The panic in Kolyat's voice was suppressed, but very present all the same.

"What's your position?" I answered.

" **Section G, Level 43! Be advised – We have encountered Leng and a full company of Phantoms!"**

I took a frenzied look at my Omni-Tool.

 _Level 43… level 43…_

" **Company!"** Beast shouted, even before Kevin could process all the blueprint. **"I need a hole in THIS. FLOOR. NOW!"**

Each of the final words was punctuated with bursts from my Rifle at the hangar floor in front of us. Each of my men opened fire with their heaviest weapons. Chips of the floor began fragmenting, exposing more of the steel panels and wiring beneath. Zynt darted forward, planting a square box in the midst of the hail of fire. The explosion that followed brought the sound of twisting and groaning metal, pushed beyond the bounds of its strength. But I was already moving. There was a small hole in the floor, and through this I leapt, feet-first.

The scene that came before my eyes was something right out of _Star Wars._ Asari Nightsisters and armor-clad Phantoms were clashing with knives and swords.

 _Fuck. No biotics._

 **SO BE IT.**

With a _clang_ of dented metal and steel, I landed on one of the metal catwalks above the swirling _melee_. Well, "landed" might be a strong word for it: more like "crashed loudly and awkwardly, almost breaking my damn-fool neck but barely catching myself thanks to Leviathan cyber-implants."

I heard the light _plink-plink_ of feet running up behind me. Acting on instinct, I whirled, activating my Omni-shield just in time to block the vibroblade from severing my head from my shoulders. Lieutenant came up in a piercing stab to the Phantom's sternum, carrying him up and over the railing with a strangled gurgle.

Looking right and left beneath me, I soon found what I was looking for: Morinth and Kai Leng were dancing around one another, blades drawn. I could see Reyna dragging another figure away from the combat.

 _Kolyat_.

The drell still held his SMG, laying down cover fire as well as he could while he was holding his free hand to the wound in his stomach.

I vaulted over the rail, leaping for another platform a few yards beneath me. A Phantom turned to face this new threat, but the split attention allowed the massive krogan it had been fighting the opportunity to reload its shotgun. I saw a leg disintegrate just before I leapt down to the ground level. I rolled forward to my feet, lunging forward into the combat.

Morinth was bleeding from about three different wounds, while Leng appeared untouched. My flying tackle took him around the body, and we went down together. I spun to my right, trying to hurling the assassin against the wall. Instead, I saw the fucker tuck himself into a ball and use the momentum of the throw to spin and land on his feet, annoyingly gracefully.

" **Fuck this, then,"** Beast grunted, my wrist-blade deploying once again as I came forward.

"I've been looking forward to this."

A maddeningly-arrogant smile was now plastered on the assassin's face.

"Of all my enemies, I've always wanted to fight you."

"Shut up, you arrogant prat," I growled, coming forward, Omni-Shield ready. Behind me, I could hear a clatter as Morinth went down on one knee, panting for breath through clenched teeth. Leng feinted with a thrust, then spun to try and slash my legs.

"Ever since I first laid eyes on you," the human continued, his voice trembling with almost a fevered pitch. "It was just this itch I _had_ to scratch."

"Flattered," I grunted as I shoved him back, slashing with my bladed gauntlet to drive him further back. "Please don't tell me you have a poster of me in your closet with candles and shit."

Kai's lip curled and he came on again, cloaking mid-spin. I leaned only _slightly_ to my left to avoid the blade, then lashed out in a cybernetic kick that sent him across the floor.

"I can still _see you,_ asshole," I scoffed, tapping the side of my head. "Don't need my biotics for my fucking _eyes_ to work."

This time Leng let out a low growl of frustration as he shot to his feet, sword in hand.

"Have to fight… have to fight…" he breathed, the mutter barely audible.. "Must… kill."

 _Something's not right about this…_

 **Indeed. Such single-minded behavior is usually indicative of…**

… _ **Indoctrination.**_

But before we could act on the Seneschal's conclusion, a shot rang out and a sniper round _whizzed_ right by my ear, slamming home into Leng's personal shields. I saw the faint blue field activate, and then shatter. In that same moment, something flashed by me, and a shard of what looked like a tree branch was suddenly jutting out of Kai Leng's shoulder.

"That's for stabbing my boyfriend, you son of a bitch," Reyna growled, her hand already growing another bark-blade, just in case.

The battle elsewhere in the room had ended, a few Phantoms attempting to re-cloak as more Raloi and Conclave Marines descended from the hole that I had made in the ceiling (albeit they were utilizing wings and fast-ropes). I held up a hand to stop Mira from firing another shot to finish off the ex-Cerberus assassin.

"Leng," I said, slowly taking a knee, careful to maintain a safe distance and keeping a close eye on his hands. "Focus on the pain: Use it."

"What are you…?" Morinth started.

" _LISTEN_ to me," I continued, holding a hand to silence her, "FOCUS on my words, and the pain you feel in your shoulder. Use it to drown out their whisperings."

Leng reached a hand up and tore away the visor from his eyes. My companions stepped back with muttered oaths and shocked gasps.

Leng's piercing blue, almond-shaped eyes that we all remembered from his time on the Collector Mission had been replaced with cyber-optics. The metallic orbs swung right and left and right, from figure to figure.

" _Sir…"_ he gasped weakly. "They're…. _so loud…"_

"Are Javik and Petrovsky indoctrinated as well?"

Kai nodded, and then shook his head.

"General, Yes…. Javik…. No."

A shuddering gasp racked the assassin's body and he suddenly grabbed the spike in his shoulder and twisted it to the right, _hard._

"Bomb planted by Petrovsky," he continued to gasp, "…Seize power… into war with the Terminus Systems."

"And he knew that Javik would want vengeance," Reyna gasped, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Javik was easy to manipulate," Leng grinned, and there was something sinister in that grin. "He's a hammer. All we did was show him the nails."

"Come on, Kai," Morinth said, "You're stronger than this: fight it!"

"Yes…." Kai groaned closing his eyes and leaning his head back. "Have to fight, have to fight, have to fight…"

"Leeeennng…" I said, bracing.

"MUST Fight!"

Leng suddenly lunged forward, and five weapons fired simultaneously: Mira's rifle, Morinth's SMG, Reyna's and my pistols, and Kolyat had managed to lift a pistol of his own from where he was being patched by an asari medic.

Kai Leng was dead before he hit the ground again.

"Damn it to the deeps," Morinth groaned, wincing from the various cuts she'd received in the fight. "And I thought he was just another asshole."

"That would have been easier," Mira said quietly.

I knelt down next to the body, closing my eyes and whispering the Prayer.

" _Mother, your child has been taken from thy bosom.  
Send him unto thy husband, as a son unto his Father._

 _Father, another of thy children comes to thine embrace: a gift from thy lover, his Mother.  
Fold him in thy arms, for he has lived a life worthy of this death._

 _Lead him unto his rest, or his rebirth as thou seest fit._

 _So mote it be."_

"All wrapped up here, boss," Muerta called out, approaching the group, admiring yet another new shotgun she had acquired from somewhere.

"Move out," I nodded, then did a double-take. "And you have a vibroblade in your arm."

"What?" Muerta grunted in surprise when she looked again. "Huh: Didn't think the _bosh'tet_ got that close…"

"All troops, this is Ko'le," I called out over the radio. "Move to Threat Level Romeo. Repeat: Threat Level Romeo."

" **Acknowledged, Imperator,"** Renin's voice answered. **"All units and vessels, initiate counter-Indoctrination Protocols and full cyber-sweeps of your systems. Set cannons and energy weapons on modulating frequencies."**

" **KO'LE, this is Tali! We've made contact!"**

"What is your position?" I asked into my Omni-Tool.

" **Marking it now! We have sighted Petrovsky and Javik! Do you copy?"**

A blip appeared on the map of the station I had pulled up.

"That's near the southern hangers," Morinth said, looking at her own. "They may be trying to make a break for it!"

"We copy, Tali!" I answered, "Hold your position and hang tight, we're coming to you!"

"Get Kolyat back to the Med-Bay," I ordered Reyna. "We'll take it from here."

"Sir…" the young drell began to object.

"That's an order, Lieutenant!"

" **Sir, we are detecting four of the docked corvettes are powering up,"** Auncel reported. **"They appear to be preparing to embark."**

"Target their engines!" I called out, running down yet another hallway, my squad and troops close behind. "Cripple them if you can!"

" **Cripple them, aye sir: acknowledged."**

We were now making contact with the rear-guard of Tali's mostly-quarian platoon of Marines. Here and there a squad of red-armored Kratocracy troopers tried to pin us down, but, reinforced by the Nightsisters and Nakmor Chell's krogan, we pushed forward. Eventually, I saw the purple-armored quarian activating her drone and sending it forward again.

"Nice of you to join us!" she said as I took a knee beside and fired my Battle Rifle into the _melee_ before us.

"Have you _seen_ Javik or Petrovsky?" I asked.

"Annoyed: We saw them as appeared to be trying to use this hallway to escape," Kapena said, his dual mini-guns _whirring_ as they cooled down. "Amused: we pointed out they needed to find an alternative route."

"It was Petrovsky, Javik and a group of about twelve or so other Protheans," Tali added. "They were all wearing helmets, except for Javik and the general, so I couldn't recognize any of them."

I nodded in acknowledgment. Nom Rota lumbered up in his giant Exo-Suit, Gauss Rifle in both of his giant hands.

"Well, boss-clan," he wheezed, yanking the charging handle on the giant gun, "Shall we put an end to this?"

I grinned and moved forward. Sheer and awesome firepower cleared the way ahead of us. Attack drones activated, draining personal shields just in time for grenades to be detonated and scatter the Kratocracy troopers from cover, where the heavy weapons of elcor, volus and krogan finished them off. Pretty soon, we were moving forward at a running pace. At each corner, I felt Beast and Ko'le mentally bracing for facing off with their Prothean former comrades. But each corner revealed only another hastily-erected barricade, or another portable turret.

Until we around yet-another corner and there he was, in full scarlet Prothean Battle Armor:

Javik, Avatar of Vengeance.

My mind's eye flashed as we made eye contact. Without the Mind-Share, it was chillingly distant to behold another Prothean without… the deeper connection that I had taken entirely for granted until now.

 _Javik turns and looks and me.  
I am bleeding on the floor of the Collector Station from where his dagger has stabbed me in the back. _

_My breaths are ragged and shallow._

 _Javik fades in and out of focus._

" _He is dead, Commander," he reports, looking right into my eyes. "I will be… alone."_

Then I flashed to the present as my rifle shot made contact with an Omni-Shield, thrown in-between the two of us by another armored Prothean, who pushed Javik back into what appeared to be a small room. There, I could see fifteen Prothean in full Battle Armor, laying down a withering cover-fire.

Behind Javik I could see the grizzled face of a very familiar Russian general, with hands folded behind his back, and that signature arrogant grin on his smug face.

 _Petrovsky._

Cursing my lack of biotics in that moment, Beast flung us forward, snarling his rage and roaring his defiance.

Javik didn't even blink. He simply reached over and calmly pressed the giant red button on the side of the wall. A bulkhead slammed shut and suddenly the group was gone from view. Through the tiny porthole, the escape pod could be seen descending towards the planet.

I lifted a hand to my radio to order Renin and the ships to blast them out of the sky when suddenly I saw the full extent of their plan:

The four Kratocracy ships that had been docked with the Cruicble were also free-falling towards the planet, providing a literal screen protecting the relatively-tiny escape pods to make it to the planet below.

" **FUCK! THIS! SHIT!"**

Each of Kevin's frustrated words was accompanied by a fuel-driven punch to the bulkhead from Beast.

"Ko'le!" Iliaas Rota's voice cut into my raging tantrum. "Over here!"

I turned to see the nephew of the _Iswanee_ 's captain gesturing to a giant square device, glowing.

"This _has_ to be the disrupter," Kasumi Goto said, decloaking in one corner of the room.

"Iliaas, Tali, can you disable it?" Morinth asked, holstering her pistol.

"I think so…" Tali said, crouching low by the device. "I think we can manually override the transmitter by short-circuiting the..."

Three shots rang out, causing everyone to leap back with oaths in their various languages. I handed the krogan back his shotgun, whirling towards a nearby door.

"Or… we could do that…" Kasumi said slowly.

" _ **SENESCHAL**_ _."_

The way everyone in the hall winced and grabbed at their helmets showed how amplified the Rachni Song-Speak truly was on this station.

" **HARMONY-FROM CHAOS."**

" _ **OUR SONG HAS BEEN RESTORED… THE FOUL NOTES OF THE MASTERS… ARE SILENCED.**_ **"**

" **IT IS DONE,"** I sang back, flaring a biotic field around my hand just to confirm that they had returned. **"BUT THIS BATTLE IS FAR FROM OVER. UNTIL JAVIK AND PETROVSKY** _ **PAY**_ **FOR THE INNOCENT LIVES THEY HAVE TAKEN: FOR ATTEMPTING TO DROWN OUT THE SONG OF THE RACHNI WITH THEIR OWN DISCORDANT NOTES."**

" _ **MY CHILDREN AND MY DAUGHTERS HAVE CONTROL OF THIS STATION ONCE AGAIN. BUT IT WILL BE SOME TIME BEFORE WE ARE READY TO SING THE BATTLE-SONGS."**_

" **REST EASY, GREAT MOTHER,"** I answered, typing in a series of commands on a nearby console. **"I WILL FINISH THIS FIGHT, HERE AND NOW."**

"Ko'le… what are you doing?" Mira asked, standing next to me.

"Bringing an end to this pointless war," I answered. "I'm _fucking_ going down there after them and then I'm gonna tear Petrovsky's _fucking HEAD OFF._ "

"Count me in," Muerta said, stepping into the small room-like pod, Zynt in tow.

"And I," Nakmor Chell said, double-checking her weapons.

"Ko'le," Morinth protested, "We can take the ships down there: send them to the deeps from _orbit…_ Or we can just..."

" **NO."**

Beast's snarl was not one that invited debate or discussion. Morinth shrugged and stepped into the room as well, along with Kasumi, Tali and Mira. I raised a hand to stop Nom from following them.

"Get back to the _Iswanee_ and take her down the surface to pick us up," I told the loyal volus. Tell Captain Renin to deploy his ships and hold position until he hears from _me_."

The volus brought the giant hand of his Exo-Suit up in a warrior's salute.

"Your call, boss-clan. We'll be down there to pick you up."

"For the record: this is a bad plan," Mira added grimly.

I shrugged.

"You're probably right," I said, and then hit the button to follow our quarry down to the planet below.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **There's something about nearing the end of a this story: It's a strange feeling that I've never had before. It's like saying goodbye and the end of a summer camp, and all the close-knit group of friends you've made is telling you that "they'll be in touch" and "We should totally have reunions" but deep down, you know that you're more than likely never going to see any of them again.**

 **Just me? Oh.**

 **Anyway, we are another chapter nearer to the end of this four-story Saga, and for some reason, I read the words over and over again on my screen, and daily I have to resist the urge to go back and just "Make everybody end up happy, and Javik, Ko'le, and Kevin go live on a farm somewhere in the country and nobody was every unhappy again."**

 **I love you all, and I thank you for the…** _ **Father above,**_ **YEARS of faithfully reading my work and giving me feedback, even when we all KNEW it was complete and utter trash at times. I have grown as a writer, true, but also as a person, and I think you all are in no small part responsible for that.**

 **Please, leave me your thoughts in a review or a personal message and I will endeavor to the best of my abilities to be more timely with my next chapter:** _ **Vengeance: Broken Bonds.**_

 **ROCK ON, MY FRIENDS!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Pietersielie - I have always looked forward to your reviews, my friend. I hope I do these last few chapters justice.

YDdraigGoch94 – There was a Terminus War that Becca took advantage of to take the _Normandy_ back to the Alliance. And plus, technically, she's still a Conclave Warden, so there's about a kilometer-deep pile of bureaucratic paperwork that makes it _technically_ legal.

general-joseph-dickson, BJ Hanssen, cdog21, Schnarf– I _wanted_ a better ending for Ashley and Ko'le, but this one just… rang true in way that the other scenarios didn't.

TheMysteriousOtaku, Toothless is best, ronnambi, METALHELLSPWN – Mira is the one steady constant in Kevin/Ko'le/Beast's life so far. Morinth has changed in her bid to free her sisters, and Ash is… well, Ash. But Mira's always been there for him, and accepted him for what he is.

griezz – I just thought that would be something the Geth would do: continue to do these mundane chores they were made to do in the first place, "Just because." "There was a hole," anybody? ;)

Blueowl – That is an incredible compliment, thank you very much. It was a rough start, certainly, verging on "OP-SI who had no weaknesses and ALL POWER" but thanks to reviewers and beta-readers, I think we've come a long way.

seabo76 –Thanks! I've really enjoyed your reviews, and I'm glad that you've joined us for these concluding chapters!

* * *

May the Father Below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	21. Vengeance: Broken Bonds

* **HAESTROM*  
** **DHOLEN SYSTEM  
** **FAR RIM**

The descending pod's inertial dampeners engaged for the atmospheric reentry. Mira reached a hand out to steady herself against the wall, and I heard the faint _click_ as the magnetic locks in her feet engage. The rest of my squad did the same, except for Nakmor Chell, whose bulk alone made mag-boots unnecessary. And Zynt, who wasn't wearing any boots.

The pod reached the appropriate altitude for the automated systems to engage. The massive jolt from the equally-massive parachute shook everyone for a moment, but then we resumed our silent descent.

Silent that is, until Mira cleared her throat. The fact that a synthetic was making _that_ particular noise was enough to communicate her dissatisfaction with my simplistic plan of landing on the surface below and shooting anyone who shoots at us.

"Kasumi, you're on point," I said finally, laying out a rough formation on my HUD and forwarding it to my fellow pod-mates. "Remember, your cloak will _not work_ against Prothean optics. Always assume they can see you."

The young Japanese thief nodded her head wordlessly.

"Zynt, Tali, you're directly behind her," I continued. "Tali, use those drones of yours to even our odds and give us a larger detection range."

"You got it," the quarian nodded.

"Morinth, you, Chell, and Muerta are with me," I said to the Nightsister standing next to me. "With everyone's biotics restored, we're going to have to keep on our toes."

"And me?" Mira asked.

"You're overwatch," I answered, gesturing to her massive rifle. "See a bitch, kill a bitch."

Zynt grunted and pointed with his chin towards the small display on the pod wall.

"Brace."

As if in answer, the pod came down _hard._ We apparently had come down onto a steep gradient, and the entire pod rolled over for two full rotations before coming to a jarring stop. Those of us with mag-boots gingerly detached from what was _now_ the side wall, and in short order, with Tali's hacking and Chell's brute strength, the entry door was forced open and we exited into the glaringly harsh sunlight of Haestrom's surface.

"Oh, yeah, we're off to a _great_ start," Morinth grunted as she took my offered hand to help her out of the capsized pod.

"Well, in good news," Tali added, "The sun is no longer bleeding dark energy that _kills_ everything it touches. So… it's just a _normal_ red giant star… about to go supernova."

"Wow, princess, _excellent pep talk_." Muerta's eyes rolled beneath her semi-polarized helmet. "Permission to shoot the cheerful admiral, Imperator?"

"Permission denied," I answered, allowing myself a grin at Tali's expense, who simply _huffed_ in response "We need to find Petrovsky's pod and locate where the son of a bitch went to ground. Spread out, and watch for flanking movements and cloaked snipers."

"I have a signal on the other pod," Mira informed from inside the pod. A bright green circle suddenly appeared on our HUDs.

"Move out," I grunted.

We fanned out, each taking up their assigned positions. The green dot was only a few kilometers away, and with step, my anticipation grew. Every second, I was expecting to hear the _thrum_ of Prothean Particle Rifles, or worse, the low whine of a Dark-Matter grenade.

But nothing came.

" **Uh… Ko'le,"** Kasmui's hushed voice came over the radio. " **I found them."**

Seventeen red dots appeared on our HUD, in a clearing just north of the crashed pod.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

" **I'm…. I think… I have no idea. You better take a look."**

 **None of them are moving,** Beast rumbled from the recesses of my subconscious. **I say 'Trap.'**

 _ **I agree…**_ The Seneschal concurred. _**There is something else going on here… Prothean commandos don't huddle together. This is VERY unnatural behavior.**_

It was at that moment that I crested the hill next to where Kasumi was lying prone. Beneath us, Fifteen Protheans gathered in a circle, kneeling, knives in the sand in front of them. At the apex of the circle, two other figures stood, with their backs to us.

 _Javik._

 **Petrovsky.**

 _ **The knives…Mother Above, no… The Great Mercy.**_

In the final years of the Prothean Cycle, whole cities and planets began a campaign of total and progressive suicide of their cities and spaceports. The Great Mercy, as it was called, was designed so they could not be turned by the Reapers to kill their own comrades and family.

It was as useless as it was unsuccessful.

"STOP!" came the roar, unbidden, from my own throat.

"Ko'le, wait!" I vaguely heard someone yell, and felt a hand on my shoulder. But then in the next moment I was sailing through the air, dark biotics flaring.

Even with the impressive, ground-shaking landing, no one even so much as twitched in my direction.

" **OLEG!"** Beast roared, **"FACE ME, YOU SON OF A WHORE!"**

Oleg Petrovsky turned around, facing me for the first time, and raised his hand.

Within the hand was a black orb, pulsing dark energy.

My hand went limp, and my knees buckled.

 _What… the… Hell?_

 **YOU HAVE DONE WELL, ORDAINED.**

 _Leviathans._

Instantly, I was transported to the Mind Palace again. Or rather, the Mind Ruin that remained. Once again, the giant Cthulhu-esque creature stood, black as night and as giant as a skyscraper next to my t-shirt and blue-jean-clad form.

 **OUR PREPARATIONS ARE NOW COMPLETE. OUR SWORD PREPARED. OUR WEAPONS CRAFTED.**

 _So… Petrovsky… the civil war… that was all you?_

 **PETROVSKY ENCOUNTERED ONE OF OUR ORBS SEEKING TO FOLLOW A LEAD FROM YOUR FILES.**

Knives were stabbing into my brain, or at least it felt like it.

 _So if you controlled Petrovsky, then why trigger a war in the Terminus? Why weaken the Conclave army?_

 _Something_ like a chuckle (or a horribly out-of-tune violin) reverberated through the air.

 **STILL YOUR THOUGHTS ARE TOO SMALL, ORDAINED: WE HAVE** _ **DOUBLED**_ **OUR ARMY.**

 _Javik and the Protheans…_

 **PAWNS IN OUR HANDS. WHAT OTHER MOTIVATION WOULD HAVE LEAD THE AVATAR OF VENGEANCE TO SUCH STRAITS THAN TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM US THAT HIS FRIEND AND COMRADE WAS A THRALL OF THE REAPERS?**

A **ND WHAT COULD HAVE MOTIVATED** _ **YOU**_ **TO RALLY THE TERMINUS AND THE CIRCLE TO YOUR SIDE…**

… _than to believe that Javik and Petrovsky were trying to seize power?_

Anger and bitter realization was washing across all three personalities in my brain.

And they were all _pissed._

 **You** _ **betrayed**_ **us. PLAYED US!**

 _ **They played us all, Beast.**_

 **WE MOTIVATED A GALAXY THAT WOULD NOT PREPARE FOR AN UNKNOWN THREAT TO WAR AGAINST AN ENEMY THEY COULD SEE AND GRASP.**

 _ **And sacrificed millions of lives in the process**_ ….

 **The batarians…**

 _Not to mention Earth._

 **ALL NECESSARY IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR OUR GLORIOUS ASCENSION**.

The giant cuttlefish… shrugged.

I'll let you interpret that sentence however you want.

 _SO what happens now?_

 **NOW WE CLEAR THE PLAYING FIELD. YOU CAN SUFFER NO RIVALS TO THREATEN YOUR ROLE IN THE RESTORED ORDER. THESE PAWNS WILL NOW BE SACRIFICED, AND YOU AND YOUR COMPANIONS WILL BE GIVEN THE APPROPRIATE MEMORIES OF THEIR END.**

D _O NOT TOUCH my mind or my friends, you Lovecraftian sons of bitches._

 **KO'LE… DO YOU REALLY THINK ALL YOUR MEMORIES ARE YOUR OWN. LOOK WHAT THE OLD ONE DID IN THE CREATION OF KEVIN.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _What?_

 **THERE NEVER WAS A KEVIN.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **THERE IS NO ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **THIS IS NOT A GAME.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **THE OLD ONE NEEDED A METHOD OF CONTROL OVER THE SENESCHAL AND THE BEAST. AS KO'LE SENESCHAL SLUMBERED, THE CHARACTER OF KEVIN TROY WAS CREATED AND UPLOADED TO YOUR STASIS POD AS YOU SLEPT.**

 _NO, that's not… that's not possible… I remember… I remember playing my Xbox360…_

 **HOW MANY TIMES HAS KEVIN INTERCEDED OR STOPPED YOU FROM DOING SOMETHING BECAUSE "THAT'S NOT HOW THE GAMES WORKED?"**

The voice was gentle now, like a soothing adult telling a child Santa Claus wasn't real.

 **KO'LE… KEVIN TROY IS A FABRICATION. A MYTH, A MEANS OF CONTROL.**

Looking down, the Firefly T-Shirt and Blue jeans were gone. Replacing them was a Prothean robe of state, resplendent in its design and manufacture.

 **No….**

 _ **NO…**_

 _That's NOT TRUE!_

 **WHAT, THEN? YOU CREATED KO'LE AND BEAST AND IMPLANTED THEM IN KEVIN'S OWN MIND?**

 **YOU CREATED A MENTALLY UNSTABLE AVATAR FOR THE EXPLORATION AND LIVING IN A FANTASY WORLD?**

Looking down again, gone were the resplendent robes of state. Replacing it was the scarred and torn body of Beast, the Neanderthal plaything of a mad Prothean scientist. Severed wires and cut-off tubes still protruded from fresh stitches where an arm had been cut off and replaced only moments before.

 **WHY WOULD A TIME-TRAVELING ANCIENT ONE CHOOSE** _ **YOU**_ **, OF ALL PEOPLE?**

 **WHY WOULD A TIME-TRAVELING LEVIATHAN CHOOSE** _ **JULY 21**_ _ **ST**_ _ **, 2015**_ **AS THE DATE FROM WHICH TO PULL A CONSCIOUSNESS INTO THE MASS EFFECT UNIVERSE?**

 _ **I don't…**_

 **I don't…**

 _I don't…._

 **WHY WOULDN'T THE OLD ONE HAVE INTERVENED BACK IN HIS OWN TIME WITH ONE OF HIS** _ **OWN**_ **PEOPLE, TO PREVENT THE REAPERS FROM EVER BECOMING A PROBLEM?**

 _I DON'T KNOW!_

 **YOU DON'T KNOW BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO KNOW? OR ARE YOU SO ARROGANT THAT YOU STILL THINK AN OMNIPOTENT, OMNI-UNIVERSAL CREATURE CHOSE** _ **YOU**_ **TO DO HIS BIDDING?**

 _SHUT UP!_

 **WHAT THE HELL MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?**

 _SHUT UP!_

I collapsed into a heap on the floor, trying with all my might to drown out the voices. And then, just when I thought my head was about to literally explode…

* * *

.

.

"Hello, Son."

I looked up. Gone was the small green valley where I had been only moments earlier. This wasn't even the Mind-Place where Ko'le, Beast, and I found refuge and solace.

This was the farm on Signal Hill Road, Manassas, Virginia. Area Code 20111. And sitting in front of me was a squatty, thick-built man in a tattered grey t-shirt, blue overalls, and a leather apron.

"Dad."

Wayne Troy sat down on the bench next to where I had found myself. I stared for I-don't-know-how long. Neither of us said anything. .

"I have to admit," I managed. "I was _not_ expecting to see you."

My dad just raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?"

"Well… I haven't been in the best of places mentally lately."

My dad simply raised an eyebrow again. That was him all over: never prying, never forcing the conversation, just listening, and making YOU bare your soul to him.

And bare my soul I did. It came out in a torrent of emotions; like the dam that had been holding back the depths was now unleashed upon my psyche.

I laid out the mission that had been given to me by a giant space cuttlefish that had nabbed me off of a mountain.

I told him of my friends.

I wept over my failures.

"I don't know what's true and what is not", I sobbed. "Am I a Neanderthal who's been awoken fifty thousand years later with a Leviathan-induced memories of a game that never existed? Of Kevin, who never was?

Am I just a boy who has been struck by lightning in the mountains of Virginia, and all of this is just a medically-induced coma making me an Overpowered Self-Insert in my favorite game?

Or am I REALLY a Virginia boy seized by a trans-dimensional being and brought over to a Mirror Universe where the game IS reality?

If the former, where did the personality of Kevin come from? And why am I sitting down with a father I never had, mourning the loss of a family I NEVER KNEW? With memories of a game that NEVER existed?

If the latter, where did the personality of Ko'le come from? And why do the in-universe Protheans _remember_ someone I _created_ with Levi?

And if NONE of this is Real at all… WHY THE FUCK is wrong with me, and WHY can't I wake up already?"

"Wrong questions."

I paused mid-rant to stare at the figure of Wayne Troy, blacksmith of Manassas, Virginia. He had his lips pursed in _that_ way he always did.

"Those are _not_ the questions you're struggling with."

"I'm sorry, so now _you're_ the expert on what _I'm_ struggling with?"

My dad shrugged.

"One of the superpowers that comes with parenthood."

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU'RE REAL, DAD!" I snapped. "OR ARE YOU just some LEVIATHAN-induced memory to control and manipulate my actions!?"

"So what?"

The angry words I was about to unleash caught in my throat, and I swallowed hard and coughed before I turned back to stare at my dad's innocuous question.

Wayne Troy held up three fingers.

"Three possibilities, son:

This is all a dream. You were struck by lightning and now you're in a coma at Prince William Medical Center. And I'm talking to you by your bedside. If this is so, then all of this," he gestured, "is your creation and imagination. Your own subconscious is holding you back, for some reason. So the only way out is forward, I reckon.

You are Ko'le, a fifty-thousand-year-old warrior, whose mind has been corrupted by the Leviathans, and all of Kevin's personality (including me) is a plant to control your actions.

If this is so, then I'm doing VERY little to convince you of my own existence. Or YOUR own existence, for that matter. But what DOES matter is that your people, who YOU awoke from stasis, you say, need their leader in this dark time they've awoken to. This… Conclave you've created, teeters on the edge of greatness, or oblivion. And you're the best qualified to fight the Reapers.

OR

You are my son: Kevin, son of Wayne, son of Charles. And for whatever reason, that video game you loved so much has equipped you enough for a interdimensional being to take notice of you, and upon your death, has interceded to bring you to another reality where your knowledge can literally save _trillions_ of lives.

If this is so, then son, you've been given what few people ever get: a second chance at a second life. And yes, while you'll be missed by your mother, your sister, and me, you can also take comfort in the fact that you are loved, and that you didn't waste a single day of your other life. So don't waste this one.

No matter what is true, son, giving up is not in any of the cards."

A callous-worn fist reached out and playfully slugged my shoulder.

"You can knock down a Troy…"

My vision blurred, and I hurriedly wiped a tear from my eye before finishing my dad's motto:

"…but we always get back up again."

Blacksmith shop materializes around us. Dad reached over and picked up a ballpeen hammer and pointed to the archway above the workshop door.

"Do you remember what these words mean?"

Burned into the wooden beams were the Latin words:

 _Surge, et resurgum._

"Rise and Rise Again," I answered.

"There you go, then son. You've got work to do, people who love you, and what's more, people who are depending on you."

Wayne Troy stood up and turned back to the forge.

"So get to it."

I smiled and reach for the door of the forge, and suddenly paused.

"Dad?"

He looked up from his work and turned to look at me.

"Will… will I ever get to see you again? Assuming you're real, of course?"

"Well, I'm going to busy here for a while," my dad answered, gesturing to the anvil. "I've got six more horseshoes to make to complete the Yoder's order, and I haven't even started on that basket hilt claymore that collector in Las Vegas ordered. But afterward," he shrugged, "I don't see why not."

He picked up the hammer again and set to shaping the molten metal he held in the tongs.

"Besides, your mother says she's making meatloaf tonight. And I'll be damned if I'm going to eat it facing her _alone_."

I smiled and then turned and walked through the door.

* * *

.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes, and Oleg Petrovsky stood before me, eyes black as the orb touching my forehead.

" **FUCK. YOU."**

Beast's savage growl preceded a hand snapping up and grabbing the former Cerberus general's wrist. There was a flash of steel, and Lieutenant suddenly came up, the point driving home directly into the orb.

There was a flash of light, and suddenly the screeching, eyeball-gouging, mind-numbing _noise…_ was gone.

I was flat on my back, staring up at Haestrom's no-longer-dark sun. With an effort, I pushed myself up to my elbows, then to my hands and knees, noticing that all the Protheans around me were doing the same.

Then the Mind-Shares began.

" _Seneschal?"_

" _Brother, is that you?"_

" _Xanawe…"_ I sent back, confused and muddled, _"Nyoka… Is it you? Is it… really you?"_

" _Is it you?"_

" _What happened?"_

" _How… How did we get here?"_

My team came running up from the distant trees, weapons up and at the ready. With another seemingly titanic effort, I held up a hand for them to stand down. Mira was at my side in a second, her deceptively-strong arms wrapping around my torso. Her mouth was moving, and it seemed forever before I actually heard the words come echoing through my ears.

"I've got you. Sit down."

"I'm OK…" I answered, trying to shake her loose. I wouldn't realize until later that I was screaming.

"You're bleeding from your nose, eyes, mouth and ears," Mira insisted right back. "If you don't sit down, you're going to…"

I tried to listen to the rest of the sentence, but the black void came up and clouded my vision too quickly for me to catch the last part.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well… I'm back. I feel like a broken record, apologizing for my absence, but I've been dealing with some medical issues lately. The upside of all of this will be that I will hopefully have more time to write now, and I've had time to edit and piece together the ending to this story.**

 **Looking back, writing this chapter gave me the opportunity to realize how far we've come in only two years. My thanks for all of you readers' patience, and your constant support. I feel like I embarked upon this journey alone, and completely clueless when it came to writing and story, but along the way, I've picked up a fantastic group of readers and reviewers.**

 **Next Chapter:** **Chapter 22: Intermission: Deep Breath** **, followed by the** **Story Finale: The Plunge.**

 **Rock ON, my brothers and sisters!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

METALHELLSPWN, Tahkaullus01, general-joseph-dickson - The phrase that comes to mind is, "The more things change, the more they stay the same…"

KyuubiNodachi, BJ Hanssen, – You have my thanks, my friends. My down-time has let me go back to the beginning and see how truly far I've come. I admit I cringe at a lot of the early chapters, but I wouldn't be here if wasn't for them and all of you.

Guest – Thanks, I'm glad I'm not dead, too. Not yet, anyway.

Toothless is best – You're probably not missing all that much: Summer Camp is rather overrated.

ronnambi – We'll have to wait and see, won't we?

EstraPel, Blueowl, Pietersielie – Thanks! I know exactly what you mean, though: This has been a significant part of my life for the past two years. I plan on writing more, though probably in different stories. I have my _Skyrim_ fanfic going, so I'd like to try and flesh that out to serious chapter-lengths and full story. But I appreciate the support!

* * *

May the Father Below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	22. Intermission: Deep Breath - Part One

The blackness receded from my vision and slowly the room around me adjusted and came into focus.

The room was a standard hospital room, except mine seemed to possess the luxury of a window. With an effort, I put my feet on the floor and half-stumbled, half-lurched my way to rest my hand to see out the transparasteel.

A giant blue planet spread out before me. It took me all of eight seconds to determine that we were in orbit above Kahje. It took me several _minutes_ to process the sight of the Citadel in a synchronous orbit alongside the hanar space station.

"What the…hell?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead."

I turned to see Mira standing in the doorway.

"The doctors didn't think you'd be awake for a few more days."

"Mira…" I smiled, or at least attempted a smile, "Where are we?"

"Starlight Station," she grinned, taking a seat in the horribly uncomfortable-looking chair in the corner of the room.

"Yeah," I answered, cocking my head at her. "See…I'm confused, because I could have sworn that _that_ is the Citadel."

I pointed my hand at the station floating in the window.

And immediately my breath caught in my throat.

Gone was the jagged claws I had sported since I awoke on the Collector's station. The long, pointed daggers that had been the bane of my own dexterity for the past months. The barbed metal shards protruding from my knuckles were also gone.

The hand was heavily bandaged to be sure… but it was _my_ hand. I lifted it and stared at it for a long time, looking over to confirm that the other one had undergone a similar transformation.

"Yeah…" Mira said slowly, standing and angling a mirror on the wall to face me. "A lot of changes have happened while you've been asleep, Kevin."

Gone were the cyber-dreads connecting my skull to the base of my spine. Instead, I saw a bandaged and carefully-wrapped, but otherwise _normal_ bald head.

"Mother Above," I whispered, gingerly touching a normal hand to my normal head. "I haven't seen _that face_ in… so long now."

 _My hand…_

 _My face…_

"What happened… How long have I…?"

"You've been asleep or under for the better part of twelve days," Mira crooned, instinctively moving beside me and guiding me back towards the hospital bed.

"Twelve days…" I muttered, complying with her guidance. "What happened?"

"Shepard," Mira shrugged. "The _Normandy_ and the _Kilimanjaro_ came through the relay apparently right after we ejected from the Crucible. A whole fleet of shuttles came down on our position only a few minutes after you all conked out."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"The _whole_ Shepard family to the rescue," I mused, then a dark look crept across my face. "Petrovsky?"

Mira shook her head.

"He's still in a coma: the doctors say there's only minimal brain activity. But from the shattered pieces of the orb lying around the two of you, we gathered enough of what had gone down, and whatever we didn't know, the other Protheans have since filled us in."

 _ **The others…**_

"Are they… are they…?" I asked, but couldn't bring myself to finish the question.

"Still held in close observation here on the station," Mira answered. "Apparently, the Circle has decided that only the _Imperator_ has the authority to pass judgement upon them."

"Meaning that the hanar don't want the responsibility of passing judgement on the Enkindlers," I scoffed. "And nobody else wants to pass judgement on the General who most of them followed until a few weeks ago."

Mira only nodded wordlessly.

"And…" I continued, looking down at my body and in the mirror. "And me? How am I doing, Mira?"

Mira reached over and caressed my cheek with a cold metallic hand. Her fingers were cold to the touch, but infinitely gentle.

"Mordin, Miranda, and a full team went to work on you the moment they got you into the _Normandy's_ Med Bay," she said softly. "They didn't stop until yesterday.

I brought my feet around and again placed them on the floor.

"Careful," Mira warned, but moved to support me all the same. "Mordin said that you'd…"

"Got it," I cut her off, and shakily got to my feet.

At that moment, the door opened, and Rebecca and Jane Shepard walked into the room. Shepard was in a standard Alliance uniform, while Jane's bore the insignia of the Hierarchy.

"Hey!" Jane called out to her clone/sister. "Look who's up, Becca!"

"How do you feel?" Shepard asked, returning the playful slug that Jane had given her.

I grinned at the sight of the two of them behaving like they had always been siblings.

"Almost human," I answered, sneaking a look into the mirror at my battered visage once again.

"Mira catch you up on everything?" Jane asked.

"Only beginning to," Mira answered.

"Well, I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Shepard said. "What's first?"

"What's the situation?" I asked. "And Why, in the Father's Name, is the Citadel floating in orbit around Kahje?"

"The Reapers launched an all-out attack on the Widow Relay," Shepard answered. "Apparently trying to finish what Sovereign started… geez, four years ago, now."

"Would have succeeded, too," Jane added, "The Citadel Defense fleet was forced to fall back and take shelter just abovethe station when suddenly the arms closed, trapping them all inside. And the next thing anybody knew, the citadel was coming out of FTL above Kahje."

"The Keepers?" I guessed.

Mira shrugged.

"As best as anybody can guess. They don't talk to anybody but you, so they've been a little sparse on details."

"However it happened, the Council and the Circle have remarkably decided to make the best of it," Shepard continued, "Kahje has been designated the Alpha Site for the Reclamation Fleet.

"Reclamation Fleet?"

"My sister's name for this little super-navy she's gathered to take back Earth," Jane answered, grinning as she sat down on the stool at the nurse's station. "She's apparently also picked up your flair for dramatic names."

Shepard rolled her eyes but turned back to me.

"The turians, the asari, and what remains of the Alliance have all gathered here," she grinned. "Even the salarians have finally gotten their asses in gear. Their First and Third Fleets have joined us, as well as a substantial STG task force.

"Led by one Major Kirrahe, no doubt," I smiled, recalling a scene from the third… game.

 **We must discuss this in more detail.**

 _ **Later, Beast. Let Kevin rest for now.**_

 _He's right, though. We gotta have that conversation sooner rather than later._

"You're well informed," a new voice chimed in, pulling me away from my mental conversation with Ko'le and Beast. Liara was smiling as she came in and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her bondmate, sneaking a small peck on the cheek from Shepard.

"Mordin apparently also pulled as many strings as he could with his old comrades and teammates," Shepard continued.

"Where is Mordin?" I asked.

"He is taking a rare moment of sleep," Liara answered, "And Jack dragged Miss Lawson out of here only a few hours ago to do the same."

"They'll be pissed they missed you waking up," Shepard smiled. "They've been working tirelessly in repairing and replacing many of your implants."

I sighed deeply.

"You got my message, then; from Huerta Memorial?"

Shepard nodded.

"As far as they can tell, the only implants you have remaining are your… um… original… Prothean ones." Lira said, bringing up a copy of one of my medical readouts. "They compared you with scans Karin… Dr. Chakwas took of you while you were on the SR-1."

"They didn't expect you to be up for another week or so," Mira said, smiling and shaking her head. "I guess your Prothean super-healing is still working just fine."

I nodded, trying to organize my thoughts together in some semblance of order.

"Thessia?" I asked next, permitting Mira to guide me back to a sitting position on the bed.

"We had a rough go of it," Jane answered. "Would have been worse, if Mom hadn't shown up, with a fleet of geth ships in formation behind her. And the entire Eclipse Golden Fleet right behind _them_."

I looked over at Mira, who merely nodded in confirmation.

"We beat them back, but Thessia…" Liara paused, closing her eyes at the memories. "It was _horrible_ , Ko'le. If every battle you fought was like that…"

"Worse," I nodded. "We _lost_ each of our battles."

Grim looks were exchanged all round for a moment.

"So then I got the _Normandy_ squared away and came to get you," Shepard continued, crossing her arms. "I gotta say, Ko'le, this whole 'passing out after a fight' thing you got going on is becoming a habit with you."

I smiled at Shepard's attempt to distract her bondmate from the traumatic memories of her home planet burning.

"Well, you know it is, Shepard," I answered, "The parades, the accolades, the medals, the politicians falling over themselves to thank you for all your hard work: it just gets boring after a while. It's much less of a hassle to just take a nap after a long day's work."

Shared grins and smirks of amusement went around the room.

 _Right… now for the not-so-amusing topics._

"Have you…talked to Javik?"

Shepard's expression turned grim again.

"He's… beating himself up pretty bad for falling under the Leviathan influence," she said slowly. "Indirectly at first, but by the time he realized what was really going on, he and the rest of his people had been subtly influenced by the orbs for too long."

"So by the time we fought on the Crucible…"

"Their every action was forced," Jane winced. "They were prisoners in their own bodies, Ko'le."

I nodded, slowly.

"I don't know how that changes things, though," Shepard admitted. "He was most certainly _not_ under the influence of any Leviathan when he stabbed you and left you for dead."

Mira reached over and placed a hand gingerly on my shoulder, squeezing gently in a gesture of reassurance.

"That's true enough," I sighed, and closed my eyes at the memory of the event.

"Well," Jane said after a few moments of silence, "You need your rest. As soon as you feel ready, we'll be here for you, OK?"

I smiled and nodded, leaning my head back against the pillow. Shepard and Liara seemed to take the hint and the trio moved towards the door. Mira stayed leaning against the front of the bed, waiting for a full eight or ten seconds after the door closed to turn back to me.

"Faker."

My eyes opened and I looked up grinning.

"Nothing much gets past you, does it?"

"I was _in_ that mischievous little head of yours for a while, Kevin."

"Do you have it?"

The Prophet of the New Geth arched an eyebrow at me.

"I still say it's a bad idea: you were _unconscious_ twenty minutes ago."

I nodded and simply held out my hand. Mira sighed dramatically, then reached over to the closet of the hospital room, withdrawing a red case. Opening it on the edge of the bed revealed a suit of red armor.

"Wow," I said, staring at the Mercenary Armor that I had purchased… _Father Below_ , seemed like forever ago now, that day on the Citadel.

"You purchased this armor after Virmire," Mira said admiringly, "At Morlan's shop on the Citadel."

"The day we punched Donnell Udina in the face."

Mira smiled as she helped me put it on, piece by piece.

"Good memories."

"Would you believe I had no idea what I was doing?" I winced as the breastplate was secured around me.

"Yes."

I shot her a look, but smiled at her honesty all the same.

"I had a rough idea of getting together an independent mercenary band and _maybe_ taking over Cerberus," I mused. "I had no idea I would be leading _another_ Empire."

"It's NOT an Empire," Mira corrected me quickly. "And you are no Emperor."

"Feels like it, sometimes," I grunted, then hissed as my armor's med-systems applied the stims. "Woah: those things really _work_."

"For a _short while_ ," Mira insisted, tapping her foot pointedly.

"Long enough for me to do what needs to be done," I agreed, and we walked out the door together.

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER***

To say that the guards were surprised to see me show up would be a severe understatement. In fact, with most of my face bandaged, and my signature dreadlocks and armor missing, I had to flash my Omni-credentials to prove that it was in fact _me_.

But finally, with much blustering and murmured apologies, they stepped aside, and I entered the secure medical wing of Starlight Station.

The Prothean Remnant had been gathered together and treated by the Conclave's best experts in Indoctrination. The Illuminated Primacy was insisting that the Enkindlers be treated as patients recovering from a severely traumatic psychological attack.

The Council on the other hand was demanding that they be turned over as prisoners of war, or worse, be tried for crimes against the galaxy.

I had absolutely zero intentions of throwing my friends and comrades to the wolves of the Citadel Justice System, but then again, I couldn't really say what my intentions _were_ either. Both sides were right, and both were very wrong, all at the same time:

If I simply forgave Javik, as Kevin wanted to do, and had the Remnant rejoin the fight for the final battle against the Reapers, I would be giving a giant middle finger to both the Core Worlds, and to my Terminus allies as well. Not to mention it would be forgetting the thousands of Traverse Republic and Quarian Confederacy left behind by Petrovsky _and_ Javik. Or the Rachni forcibly _spliced_ into the innerworkings of the Leviathans' sick and twisted version of the Crucible.

The doors opened, and two long rows of cells were revealed.

"Mira… open them."

"Ko'le…" Mira began.

"Whatever has happened in the past," I cut her off, "Whatever the _fuck_ they did to us… they are my _Aile_ , my family. Plus, if they _truly_ desired, they could have and would have made their escape long ago."

 _Isn't that right, Aile?_ I sent out via the Mind-Share.

With that, all the force-fields to the cells simultaneously deactivated. A brief glance to Mira confirmed that she had had no part in that.

Fifteen figures stepped out into the hall. Mira began to lift a hand towards the pistol on her hip, but I lifted my hand to stop her.

 _Seneschal._

 _Xanawe._

 _You look… much closer to the Ko'le we all remember from our own cycle._

 _I feel… almost myself again, Nagoya._

 _As do we all…Almost._

There was another long and awkward silence.

"Others are not so fortunate," she said aloud.

The Prothean woman made a small gesture towards the last cell on the left. No one had exited that cell. I slowly made my way down the row of my former comrades, now my prisoners. Each of them slowly saluted in the Prothean fashion. In the Mind-Share, salutations and emotions flooded across from each of them:

 _Sorrow._

 _Respect._

 _Regret._

In the last cell, a Prothean in full red Battle-Armor sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Javik."

"Ko'le."

I was fighting a broad range of emotions: Ko'le joy at seeing his comrade alive, Beast's earnest and vehement desire to kill him, and Kevin's confusion at being somewhere in-between.

"No doubt you are striving to restrain Beast from killing me where I sit," Javik stated flatly. There was no emotion in his words, and there was nothing sent across the Mind-Plane.

" **Why should he?"** Beast snarled, the bestial tones spilling over from my mental constraints. **"You stabbed us in the back, and left us for dead…"**

"And were you in my position," Javik stated, "You would have done the same thing. In fact, we _have both_ done the very same thing… many times."

 _Sorrow_ and _Remembrance_ spilled across the Mind-Share, along with mental images of the dead and the dying.

 _ **Javik's crew… His wife… his children…**_

"You accessed your Memory Shard," I stated slowly. "The one you attached to your stasis chamber."

Javik nodded, once.

"If I was going to lead our people, I needed to _remember_ everything…. The good and the bad alike."

 _That's why he's so different: He remembers EVERYTHING from the Great War._

 _ **Something even we cannot claim to do.**_

"I did not attempt to hide what I did from the others," Javik continued. "I shared it openly and freely."

" **You lied to Shepard,"** Beast snarled before I could stop him. **"You lied to the Circle."**

"I explained it to them in the only way they would have understood," Javik said, lifting a hand to wave aside my objection dismissively. "They will never be able to grasp Prothean law and Prothean Justice."

Another long silence.

"I… had _nothing_ to do with Zaal'Koris' death," Javik said finally. "Twenty of our _Aile_ died, and I sincerely believed that Aria T'Loak had orchestrated it."

"I know," I nodded, "Petrovsky and Leng deceived you."

"And so I led the Conclave to war," Javik shrugged. "There were some who did not agree with my actions: Some who chose to return to Ilos rather than follow me. I thought you should know that not all of the Awakened betrayed you."

"No," I agreed, and my fist clenched involuntarily, **"Just you."**

"I did what I believed to be right," Javik replied. "By the time I learned of the deception and went to Petrovsky, to _kill him_ in vengeance for the Protheans killed in the bombing… it was… I was…"

'Indoctrinated' was the word that neither of us would say… perhaps neither of us _could say._

"At any rate," Javik said finally, "I was wrong."

I blinked, never expecting _that sentence_ to escape the lips of the Avatar of Vengeance in a thousand cycles.

"I have rebelled against your command," he continued, lifting a finger for each of his offenses, "I left a comrade behind. I _killed you_ , Ko'le!"

Green biotics flared, and the Prothean that I once called 'brother' slammed a fist against the wall, leaving a massive dent behind.

"I abandoned my armies, and countless dead went unto the Father's arms because of _ME!_ "

" _ **You admitted yourself that many of those actions were not your own!"**_ Ko'le replied, the Seneschal of the Empire asserting himself into the conversation.

"There can only BE ONE punishment for the likes of me: You MUST. KILL. ME!"

" _ **I HAVE LOST TOO MANY OF MY BROTHERS!"**_

Ko'le's shout caused everyone to step back, including Javik.

"I have lost more than YOU WILL EVER KNOW, and more than you could ever UNDERSTAND," I continued, the words pouring out of my mouth. "I _Cannot,_ and _Will Not_ kill another."

"Then what then is your word, _Seneschal_?" Xanawe asked, stepping forward, "What would you have us do?"

I drew myself up, my hands behind my back, assuming the Position of Justice, as Ko'le had done… _so many times before…_

"For these crimes, you deserve to be punished, and by the laws of the Empire, you would be put to death."

Grim acceptance wafted across the Mind-Share like a tide.

"But I will NOT order it, for to do so would be to grant the Reapers that for which they have sought and toiled so long: the extinction of the Prothean race, and the true end of the Empire."

"You cannot trust us, brother," Javik stated, eyes narrowing, "Not after such a failure as this. For all logistical purposes, we are dead already. To go against the Reapers, our minds already flayed by the Leviathans? We would be more of a liability than any kind of aid."

I nodded. This was not a point that I had not realized already.

"And neither can your sins be forgotten," I agreed. "In so far as they have been committed against _me_ , I do forgive, and that wholeheartedly. But I cannot give the pardon of the citizens of the Citadel, fallen during your invasion. I cannot give pardon on behalf of the geth and quarians left to die on Rannoch. I cannot bestow the forgiveness of the Rachni, enslaved and imprisoned upon Memoriam Station."

"What then will you do," Javik asked, and then bowed his head low. " _Seneschal_?"

The acknowledgement of my title again caused me to blink, but I shoved aside the emotion and took a deep breath before continuing:

"What I should have done the moment I awoke you from stasis, brother: Javik, Avatar of Vengeance – in the Name and Memory of Urush Robbidir, Last Emperor of the Prothean Empire, I, Ko'le, Seneschal of the Prothean Empire, sentence you to Life."

Surprise and shock echoed across the Mind-Plane, and even Mira raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

"You and the others of our _Aile_ will return to Ilos, where you will live out the rest of your natural lives."

Heads began to bow, as the full realization of the sentence sank into each of them.

"You will not lift weapon, or sword, or blade against any inhabitant of the planet, or make any attempt to leave. You will devote your days to the restoration of the cities there, and to make a home for your offspring and the clones that will soon awaken there. You will rebuild our race, and our people."

My voice cracked on the last word, but I soldiered on, Kevin lending his strength to Ko'le's emotions.

"If this battle upon which we are about to embark should, Mother and Father forbid, go against us… and the cycle continues… Ilos has remained hidden from the reapers before, and so it shall be again. And you will build our army to guide the coming cycle to prepare for the Reapers return, and Mother and Father willing, future generations will succeed where we have failed. And such shall be our Vengeance.

If, however, the mother's love and father's strength goes with us, and the reapers are cast and purged from this universe, then perhaps, when our children's children have grown, shall the Protheans rejoin the other races of this cycle and begin a new era of our race: one of true peace. One where the threat and memory of the Reapers are no more.

And that shall be the Vengeance of the Protheans."

Silence all around.

"That… is just, Seneschal," Javik said slowly. Tears were in his eyes, and his fists were clenched tightly. "I do hear and accept the judgement of the Seneschal, who administers the Justice of the Emperor. So mote it be…"

"So mote it be," echoed each of the other fifteen prisoners.

I opened my mouth to say… _something_ , ANYTHING… but nothing came.

 **A fitting punishment for such a warrior, Kevin** , Beast reveled within my mind, **To die of old age: It is much crueler death that I would have made him suffer.**

I spun on my heel and strode out of the Detention Wing, while behind me, fifteen figures stepped back into their cells, where the force-fields re-engaged as the door in front of me opened.

 _Father and Mother go with you, Seneschal._

Xanawe and Nagoya's simple well-wishing caused me to pause.

 _And you… my Aile._

"Mira," I croaked, and the A.I. I had rescued on the Citadel, now Prophetess of the Geth, was by my side in an instant, a hand on my shoulder for support, both physical and emotional.

"Arrange transport for them," I said finally, after several deep breaths. "For appearance's sake, there will have to be armed guards."

"I will see it done," Mira nodded gently. "And you?"

"I'm going back to bed."

* * *

 ***MIRA POV***

 **THE CONCLAVE CIRCLE CHAMBER** **  
STARLIGHT STATION  
IN ORBIT ABOVE KAHJE**

"I call this session of the Conclave Circle to order. We remember the fallen: those who have come before us."

I looked around the room: the chairs of the Circle were filled:

Din Korlack, Representative for the Vol Nation.

Calyn, Representative for the Courts of Dekunna.

Rhysan, Representative for the Illuminated Primacy.

Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, Representative for the Quarian Confederacy

Shiala Konstantin, Representative for the Traverse Republics

Ari'ka, Representative for the Raloian Great Skaa

Speaker Erinya, Representative for the Rachni Swarm.

Brynn Cole, Representative for the Terran Kratocracy

The glaring absence of Javik, and a representative for the Prothean Remnant was mollified somewhat by the hulking figure of Urdnot Wrex seated in the chair normally filled by the Avatar of Vengeance. But the black obsidian throne of the Imperator stood empty.

So that left only me: Mira, Prophetess of the Geth, representing the Geth Collective.

"The Imperator sends his regrets that he is unable to attend," I said softly. In reality, of course, I hadn't even told him of the meeting, because I knew what he would have done: Drugged himself into a stim-high _again_ , and dragged his ass into here.

 _MARK: Reason #18478 for attraction._

"While we mourn for the conditions of their ascendance," Din Korlack said carefully, "The Circle welcomes Representatives Calis and Cole in their new roles.

The human and the asari bowed their heads, Brynn Cole looking _very_ uncomfortable at being the center of attention, I thought. She had been a scientist prior to this, my memory banks served to inform me.

 _If Ko'le were here, no doubt he'd show off some kind of personal insight into her private life, thanks to those Prothean implants_ , I thought, and then got a horrible feeling:

 _He might not be able to do that at all anymore, for all we know._

Kylee Osana had been on the original expedition that had found Ko'le on Therum. She had been the first Joined of the Rachni Swarm. When the Rachni had been recalled to Memoriam Station by the Imperator, she had accompanied her queen and her Brood. When the full scope of the Crucible's diabolical plan to graft Rachni into the inner-workings of the station were revealed, she had dared to resist and fight for her adopted brothers and sisters.

Executing Representative Osana had been one of Petrovsky's last acts as Imperator before Conclave Wardens Turro'le de Orroc and Urdnot Grunt had marched in to try and arrest him.

 _Another thing to tell Ko'le. Later, anyway._

 _He's lost enough friends for today_ …

Wrex stood up next, giving a report on the war's progress on the krogan DMZ and the turian worlds that the krogan forces had reinforced in the Conclave's latest offensive against the Reapers. He had been invited to join the Circle as a guest, but I knew that Din and Rhysan had been in serious talks with him to try and gain a krogan seat in the Circle.

 _He may be holding out to see if the Council want to give the krogan their old seat on the Council back…_ I grinned at the thought.

"We will commit our forces with Shepard and the Alliance," Wrex was saying, "This is the greatest army that this galaxy can assemble. If we cannot win here… then we cannot win at all."

"Thoughtfully: It might be prudent to hold our own forces back, to provide a strongpoint… should the worst happen," Calyn added, shifting his weight uneasily.

"My friend," Ari'ka replied, "Holding back would only increase the Council's chances of being defeated at Earth."

"And if that should happen," Shiala leaned forward, "Palaven, Sur'Kesh, and Thessia, and will fall in their turn. And the combined might of the asari, turian, salarian, and human worlds will descend upon the Conclave _en masse_."

"And we will not have the strength or the numbers to stop them," Shala'Raan agreed, shaking her head.

Wrex nodded his agreement.

"Waiting your turn to hunt a thresher maw only means you'll face it alone, when your turn comes," he grunted. "We won't get a better chance than this."

"The Herald of the Enkindlers has given his support to Warden Shepard," Rhysan added, trying to sound as positive as possible. "Our faith must match his own. We cannot falter now."

"What of the Terminus-clans?" Din Korlack asked. "Will they commit their forces to this offensive as well? Or sit back and take revenge for Petrovsky's War once our own forces are committed?"

"If the Imperator was here, Representative Korlack," I replied gently, "I believe he would something to the effect of, 'We must deal with the ones that we _know_ to be our enemies before we cast doubting eyes upon our friends.'"

The round of debates began all over again, with distrust of the Terminus warlords coming back to the forefront of the discussion over and over again.

"ENOUGH!"

All eyes turned to the doorway, where a single figure weakly leaned against the door for support.

 _You damn fool_.

Kolyat and Reyna were both at Kevin's side, helping him cross the long distance from the door to his ceremonial seat. If he had questions concerning the new faces in the room, he did not show or speak them.

"Herald," Rhysan began, "We are most gratified to see…"

Kevin put up a hand to silence the no-doubt copious amounts of praise that the hanar was about to heap upon him.

"My friends, we are committed," he said, trying to muster as much strength into his voice as he could.

"But are the Terminus warlords equally committed?" Din started to ask.

"THERE ARE NO TERMINUS WARLORDS," Kevin answered, causing everyone in the Circle to jump, slightly.

 _Oh, he looks glorious,_ I thought. _The very picture of a grieved father settling a dispute amongst squabbling children._

"There are no Conclave forces, or krogan forces, or Citadel Forces," he went on. "There are no Hegemony fleets, or Blood Pack pirates. There are only the Living, joining forces to fight those who would make them Dead.

Everything that divides us must be put aside. This is the hour where the fate of our people will be decided. The lives of every being of the future rests in our hands, in this very moment."

 _That_ sobering thought weighed heavily upon everyone present for a moment.

"That is a burden that _no one_ should have to bear," Ko'le said gently. "And we certainly cannot ask anyone to bear it for us, or bear it alone. This is the founding idea of this Circle, of this Conclave: We must band together, or we will all die separately."

 _Father and Mother above, I love him…_

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey everybody!**

 **As you may have noticed, this is Part ONE of the Intermission sequence before the Final Battle! There was just no way I could cram all of the storylines and content that needed to be wrapped up into a single Intermission chapter, so I made the executive decision to split it up into several. This will also help me to get the content out faster, rather than waiting for the WHOLE chapter to be finished and edited, and proof-read.**

 **I'm excited to see your responses to Prothean Justice. It is not the blood-bath that Beast would have preferred, but… perhaps something much, much worse.**

 **Leave me your thoughts, and your constructive criticisms!**

 **ROCK ON, my friends!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

METHALHELLSPWN, Nagtato21, general-joseph-dickons – Yep. Leviathans be crazy, and the Reapers really are reflections of their Makers.

griezz – I hope I haven't disappointed anybody. But try as I might, I could not write Kevin, Ko'le, or Beast killing Javik. It just wasn't in the cards.

Toothless is best, Blueowl – All Aboard for the Feels Train! To be honest, I wish my relationship with my dad was like this, too. Probably what inspired the conversation, TBH.

Pietersielie – "And you were there, and you were there!"-Dorothy.

Tahkaullus01 – They are… not currently under anyone's control. "Free of Brainswashing" is a fairly relative term.

BJ Hanssen – Thanks! Glad I can still surprise you!

maesde – Glad you've liked it so far!

SomeDudeThatReads – Morinth is one of my favorite characters, but Mira has been literally IN Kevin's head. I think our favorite Ardat-Yakshi will always harbor feelings for the One that understood her better than anyone else in her life had. As for an epilogue…. Maybe? I might could be persuaded… lol

* * *

May the Father Below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	23. Intermission: Deep Breath - Part Two

***STARLIGHT STATION** *  
 **IN ORBIT ABOVE KAHJE**

The holo-images of the major Terminus warlords flickered in and out around the table. I took a seat slowly, trying not to show any signs of weakness or injury. Not that the heavy bandages wouldn't tell enough of the story, but I didn't want to give them any more causes to doubt my abilities.

That said, there was hardly any of the figures around the table who _weren't_ bandaged. Vashon Chaz was lying on some kind of hospital bed, but the salarian's eyes were still sharp. Kirwan ul Tirravan now sported a patch over one of his lower eyes, and even Liselle T'Loak had an arm in a sling. Matriarch Aethyta, Liara's father, was also

 _At least we're in good company._

 **We look by far the worst for wear, Kevin** _ **.**_

 _Gee, thanks, Beast._

 _ **We may be the most injured, but we must use it to our advantage**_ **,** Ko'le interjected. _**If we are the most heavily injured, then it is because we have sacrificed the most, and are therefore the most worthy to officiate this Summit. THAT is the authority we must project.**_

"My friends," I said in greeting. Trying to keep everyone's titles, self-assumed or otherwise, would have been useless at this point. "I am glad to see so many of you alive, given recent events. I realize that none of you have been idle, and we have all suffered losses and wounds over the past few weeks, some more grievous than others."

Eyes went around to take stock of which figures were absent from the room, and the reasons why.

"We must take stock of our situation, and our capabilities to wage battle in the upcoming weeks," Aria T'Loak stated, softly but firmly. "This is _not_ the time for bullshit or exaggeration. We need to know how many Goddess-damned ships and soldiers we've lost, and more importantly, how many of each we can commit to future battles."

Grim nods of agreement went around the room.

"General Blake, what is the status of the Black Suns?"

Helena Blake gripped a cane of her own as she stood to her feet.

"After the attacks on Port Nonesuch, I have order my remaining ships to rendezvous at the Meridian Belt," she reported. "At the last tally, I have only two dreadnoughts ready for duty: the _Gabriel_ and the _Azazael_. The _Michael_ and the _Samael_ were lost above Sanctuary, and the _Raphael_ is too heavily damaged to be of any real use in a fight. As for the smaller ships, I can assemble thirty-eight frigates and almost fifty corvettes and destroyers, with crews to man them.

We're picking up a lot of stragglers and refugees from Alliance space as well: mostly from Beckenstein and Amaterasu. We've redirected as many as possible towards Sanctuary and Conclave space. With your permission, I'd like to begin serious recruitment efforts in the refugee camps. Plenty of angry people who are just looking for a chance to inflict some pain of their own upon the Reapers."

"Granted," I said quickly. "Every recruit you can pull away is another soldier for the war, and one less mouth to feed in the camps. The real challenge will lie in _equipping_ them with arms and armor so they will even make a difference in this fight."

"If I may?" T'Ravt interjected, leaning forward slowly. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"My forces on Tarith are in possession of large caches of arms, ammunition, and armor," the Warlord of Xentha continued. "In those same facilities, we have set up training compounds, with instructors and supplies for almost nine regiments. The damage to Terminus Relays has meant that I have been unable to funnel my own recruits to that location, and hence, they have been held in reserve."

She spread her hands open.

"If you can arrange transport, my people can assist with the equipment and training of those new levies."

Helena Blake looked over at me, an eyebrow slightly raised. It was, in essence, _giving_ T'Ravt with recruits for _her_ officers to train and command, and who would be wearing the livery of Xentha.

 **After the war is over… she will have an army that WE gave her, Kevin.**

 _ **But the alternative is to allow to allow those weapons and armor to rust away unused, and send good men to fight with sticks and stones against demigods…**_

"Make it so, General Blake," I answered aloud. "I give you my thanks, Lady T'Ravt."

The asari matron nodded back, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands together contemplatively.

Following our example of brutal honesty, the other warlords reported on their own fleets and strengths. We had had our setbacks, to be sure: Sirena Olm had been lost at the Battle of Oarlock Point, and the few survivors of her forces had been absorbed by Vashon and his battle fleet.

Xerol and the Faithful had made several successful incursions against the Reapers in Hegemony space, as well as connecting with several straggling fleets and ships. Additionally, they had established contact with Resistance movements on many batarian colonies, and had given what assistance they could to those parties.

 _ **The Hegemony could not ask for a stronger leader.**_

 _If there is a Hegemony to lead at the end of all this._

Jurdon Vex and many of the other krogan had taken part in the Miracle of Palaven, and the subsequent rally of the turian and Citadel forces within the Hierarchy.

"We have received word from several mercenaries and former freelancers," the ex-Blood Pack commander stated. "We have using them to supplement our losses. Several of them have brought and supplied their own ships as well; mostly retro-fitted cargo freighters and ore haulers, but we're using them as troop transports when and where we can."

"The krogan people once again have a cause and a purpose," Nakmor Chell agreed. "We will stand with our brothers and sisters in the galaxy, in the core and Terminus alike."

Amused smiles and nods went around the room at the young krogan's fervent declaration. She was not old enough to remember the last time the krogan people had a unifying "cause and purpose," and not a few of those in the room were not particularly fond of their memories of that time.

"Our troops at Anderfels and Redcliffe have been engaged with Reaper scouting parties and strike forces," Yan T'Ravt reported, "Xentha has been largely left alone, no doubt due to its remote location. General Kaste and the Sword Fleet at Illium report themselves almost back to full strength, and I am mobilizing Shield Fleet to stand in reserve in orbit above Thedas."

Jona Sederis stood to her feet, half of her face almost completely covered in bandages. If there was any recognition or recall of my role in her capture and incarceration, she had not shown the least sign since joining the holo-conference.

"The Golden Fleet is still mostly broken from Thessia," she sighed, holding both hands open. "I will only be able to rally _maybe_ a third of my ships, with crews to man them to a condition that they will be actually useful in a fight."

Nods went around the room. Committing the _entire_ Eclipse Golden Fleet to Thessia had been a deliberate tactic on Sederis' part, meant to cow the asari matriarchs into military or economic concessions towards the larger galactic war. It was meant to be overkill on a grand scale.

It was almost not enough. Without Shepard and the Alliance reinforcements, as well as the geth dispatching forces to the asari homeworld, the fate of the battle might have been much different.

"The process will go _quicker_ if I am _allowed_ to supplement my losses from the fragmented Republic forces and their survivors. There are certainly more asari than there are ships on Thessia these days. If Tevos and Irissa see reason…"

" _Make_ them see reason," Aethyta hissed. "This is not the time for those hags to be bickering about who's fishing in whose ocean. We swim together or drown together in this storm."

The Headmistress of the Eclipse nodded.

"I'll remind them of where they would be without the Golden Fleet. Or what they can expect _without_ our assistance."

Liara's father shared several economic projections tables, none of which seemed very promising, if the giant red arrows pointing downwards were any indication.

"Illium is in shambles still," she stated. "I can say without hubris that we gave as good as we got, but even with the timely arrival of General Oraka and the Conclave 3rd Battle Group, I cannot say with any degree of certainty that we could have repulsed another attack before the Reapers withdrew from the system."

She shrugged.

"The 'Provincial Military Junta' here on Illium thinks that the Reapers are retreating because of their 'heavy losses,'" she went on, her finger-quotes making her opinion on that particular political body quite clear. "I'm more inclined to think they're regrouping."

Xerol Shaaryak sighed and leaned forward, hands twisting on the knob of his cane.

"The common theme from each of our reports seems to indicate that the Reapers are pulling back from Terminus Space," he said, gently maneuvering the conversation away from asari inter-house politics. "They seem to be centering their activities around the Sol Relay. We need to make a concerted effort towards Khar'shan. With their forces pulled back, how is the perfect time to strike."

"That lines up to what my scout ships have determined," T'Ravt agreed. "There seems to be only a token force garrisoning the batarian homeworld."

"I'm afraid it is too late for that."

All eyes turned back to me, as I sighed and leaned forward, looking earnestly at Xerol.

"Khar'shan is fallen, my friend. If the Reapers are abandoning it, it is because there is nothing left on the planet they find of interest or value."

Xerol's face betrayed nothing, save for a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"So you say."

"So I know," I insisted. "I am sorry, Xerol. If they are pushing most of their main forces towards Earth and the Sol system, then that is where we should strike them, when they imagine themselves strong."

"They are trying to recoup their losses with indoctrinated from Earth," T'Ravt said slowly.

"Yes," I nodded in confirmation. "With their recent setbacks at Tuchanka, Palavan, and Thessia, the Reapers are focusing their attention on creating as many human thralls as possible to replenish their armies. For the first time in the recorded history of both cycles, we have the Reapers on the _defensive._ "

"For now," Liselle T'Loak clarified.

"It's true, we could strike at the Reapers left behind in the Hegemony," I continued, gesturing to Xerol and the rest of batarians. "Kill a million or so thralls, maybe even a few Behemoths and Harvesters they have garrisoning the worlds left on Khar'shan and the neighboring systems. But if we allow them to subjugate Earth… that's _billions_ more soldiers we will have to fight tomorrow, taken from the Resistance the Alliance has confirmed is still in place on Earth."

"Their attention will be divided between the ground forces and our fleet," Sederis mused. "Defeat their main force there on Earth…"

"And we can spend the next several decades will be spent hunting down the Reapers piecemeal from the outer verges of the galaxy," I confirmed. "But if we hold back, that only increases the chance that Shepard's fleet will be defeated. If Earth falls, Palavan, Tuchanka, Thessia and Sur'Kesh are not far behind. And then they will turn their full strength of the Core Worlds and the Traverse against the Terminus, which by then will stand alone."

Xerol's hand clenched on the knobbed head of the cane he carried, but he made a wordless nod in reply. The Acting Hegemon was no fool. Aria T'Loak looked around the table, receiving nods from the others as well.

"Very well, Ko'le," she said, looking back up at me. "We will be enroute for the Sol system to join up with the Citadel and Conclave forces."

"I will contact you with the place and time," I nodded, dipping my head in a sign of grateful humility. "May your foes be strong enough to keep you sharp."

Grim nods and a few salutes followed my statement, and then, one by one, the Terminus warlords flickered and disappeared, save for one.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Matriarch?" I asked Aethyta, who still sat reclined, a bottle of a Thessian beer in her hand.

"I have another appointment on Starlight Station," the asari replied politely.

I raised an eyebrow.

"Ahh."

My suspicions were confirmed a moment later when the door to the Communications Center opened behind me, and the Shadow Broker, Liara T'Soni, strode into the room.

"I will leave you to it, then."

Aethyta toasted me with the bottle, and Liara lifted a hand to touch my shoulder as I passed. I smiled and nodded as best I could, closing the door behind me gently.

* * *

" _I've called a few friends…commandos. Eclipse girls who owe me some favors. They're all yours. Just tell them where to go."_

" _You're giving me… asari commandos?"_

" _Well, you're too old for me to buy you a damn pony."_

* * *

 ***THE MIND-PALACE*  
**

 **That was from your world's game, was it not?**

 _It was. Except that conversation took place on the Citadel. Right after Cerberus tries to lead a coup against the Council and Shepard has to kill Udina._

 _ **And in this world, Udina still leads the fight against the Reapers for the people of the Alliance.**_

 **Indeed.**

 _So… is this THAT time then? When we sit and try and work out which of us is real and which of us is implanted Leviathan-constructed memories?_

 **It has to be one of us. All three of us can't be real**.

 _ **And why not?**_

 _Come again?_

 _ **We only have the Leviathans' claim that one of us is fake: Not the most reliable of sources. So then, let us examine what we know then, shall we?**_

 _Do, let's._

 _ **We know that Kevin has vivid memories of playing a video game of his world. A video game that contained detailed information that, upon his entry into this world, had not yet occurred.**_

 **We used this information to our advantage.**

 _I also have memories of Levi and I constructing the persona of Ko'le… in the Time Between Times._

 **Did you?**

 _How do you mean?_

 **What exactly did you suggest? EXACTLY.**

 _I suggested…_ I wracked my brain, trying to recover the now-distant and blurry memories. _A Human from the era of the Protheans…._

 _ **And the Ancient One… this… Levi… came up with the details, didn't he?**_

 _Well… he knew more about the Protheans than I did. The games were kinda sketchy on details on their culture and society._

 _ **Levi also said that our reality is only one of many, didn't he? That we exist within a Multi-Verse?**_

 _He did._

 _ **Then there exists the possibility that in some universe, their actually existed a human who was taken by Kopral Robbidir and experimented upon in the Martian Prothean Outpost**_.

 _I… I suppose._

 _ **You did not come up with Beast, did you?**_

 _I… I…_

 **He did not. He was unaware of my very existence until Heshtok.**

 _I… I guess…But Beast could be a creation of Levi's… something to give us an edge in battle?_

Beast bristled at the implications of his non-existence, but Ko'le soothed him.

" _ **No… If anything, Levi did his best to suppress Beast's personality. He had nothing to gain by adding a third UNSTABLE personality.**_

 **And there is the fact that Javik and the rest of Protheans REMEMBER us.**

 _ **That is perhaps the strongest case for Beast's and mine existence. Whatever powers Levi may have had, he could not have influenced the minds of eighty-seven Protheans in an another location in the galaxy and given them EXACTLY identical memories of a time and a history spent with a human who didn't truly exist. ONE of them would have remembered the truth by now. ONE of them would have doubted.**_

 **And let's not forget that ALL of the Hanar remember Ko'le Seneschal. AND the Song-History of the Oravores Swarm.**

 _You're right…_ I mused quietly. _So… it must be me… Kevin Troy has to be the Construct…_

 _ **I disagree**_ , Ko'le replied. _**You remembered details of this world that NO Leviathan, no matter how powerful, could have known beforehand.**_

 **The Illusive Man's true name.**

 _ **Zaeed Massani and Vido Santiago…**_

 **Jacob Taylor's father's location**

 _ **Miranda Lawson's father and sister…**_

 **Saren's strategy upon the Citadel.**

 _ **All these came from your memories of the game, which proved to be true.**_

 _So… what then? We're… all right? That seems like a cheap cop-out_.

 _ **Why should that make it any less true?**_

* * *

"Ko'le?"

The word and gentle hand startled me out of the Mind-Palace. Reyna stepped back, her leafy fingers outstretched in a calming gesture.

"I'm sorry," she soothed, "am I disturbing you?"

"You are not," I shook my head. "I was merely… lost in my own thoughts."

 _ **Understatement.**_

"Forgive me, then," Reyna continued. "But… Kolyat just called…from the Citadel."

"What news?" I asked, shakily getting to my feet, unashamed to take her arm for support.

"Thane Krios… is dead. He passed away at Huerta Memorial only a few minutes ago."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Another update? So soon? Almost like it's a *GASP* regular schedule again?!**

 **Breaking up the Intermission into shorter chapters like this lets me get more content out at a faster rate. A bit shorter, perhaps, but I'm determined to hold Writer's Block at bay for as long as I can.**

 **Special shout-out goes to Katkiller-V, for letting me borrow some of his OCs to populate this alternate take on Mass Effect. If you haven't read his works, you should! **

**So we've had an update on the Reaper War at-large in the Terminus and the Traverse, as well as an existential crisis quasi-resolution. Let me know your thoughts, even if it's as simple as "Good job, I liked it." Your reviews really make my day.**

 **ROCK ON, my friends!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Nagato21, Onkel Jo, BJ Hanssen – Letting them live is definitely a punishment by Prothean standards, and a cruel one in its own way.

SomeDudeThatReads – Villains are always the heroes of their versions of history.

METALHELLSPWN – It only two four books for Ko'le to get a haircut! ;)

Blueowl – Thanks! Kevin definitely brings more to the table than just his in-game knowledge.

ronnambi – I have no plans for Orpheus-esque tragedies, as of yet.

general-joseph-dickson – Thanks! I really appreciate you taking the time to write a review!

Toothless is best – Well, next week we have Thane's funeral and the Long Expected Party. So at the very least, we can look forward to good laughs (and maybe some romantic interludes)?

TheRedMezek – Hope you enjoyed the existential quandary! As for an epilogue… maybe something revolving around Benezia Shepard, the asari daughter of the Shadow Broker and Hero of the Citadel? Hmm…. Who knows? If enough people would read it…

* * *

May the Father Below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	24. Intermission: Deep Breath - Part Three

***SURFACE OF KAHJE** *  
 **MORINTH POV**

The waves splashed against the shore of the island, their rhythmic _swoosh, swoosh_ lending an air of calm and relaxation to the atmosphere.

The funeral of legendary assassin Thane Krios was attended by a small group of his closest friends: those who had fought alongside him and shared in his victories. The body of the drell was laid upon a pyre resting between two long wooden boats. His arms were folded over his chest in a gesture of supplication, and the blue-robed drell presiding over the affair pressed his forehead to that of his father's and stepped back down onto the sands.

" _Kalahira, mistress of inscrutable depths,_ " Kolyat began, his voice a hair's breadth away from breaking entirely, _"I ask forgiveness."_

We stood, heads bowed, in a semicircle behind him. I bent my head, whispering the Prayer of Passing to the Goddess, not that I actually thought Athame was listening _(crusty old bitch)_ , but more out of habit than anything else. I thought I could hear Ko'le murmuring to the Father and Mother, but only because I was directly next to me. Kolyat's baritone voice rose above the noise of the waves:

 _"Kalahira, whose waves wear down stone and sand, wash the sins from this one and set him on the distant shore of the infinite spirit.  
Kalahira, this one's heart is pure but beset by wickedness and contention.  
Guide this one to where the traveler never tires, the lover never leaves, the hungry never starve.  
Guide this one, Kalahira, and let him be a better companion to you than he was to me." _

"Forgive me, young Kolyat-sho," Turro'le said in a low voice, when the prayer had ended. "But had your father not asked forgiveness already for the lives he had taken?"

"He had, Big Turro," Kolyat nodded. "The prayer… was for me."

The drell reached over to the small stone table, where a single candle rested, as well as a bow and arrow.

"Would…? I have little skill with a bow, Big Turro," the young drell said. "Would you… could you please…?"

Turro'le stepped forward, taking the weapon from Kolyat's hands, the ancient drell weapons dwarfed now in his giant wings.

"I would be honored beyond measure, Kolyat-sho."

Kolyat nodded wordlessly, but then turned to the rest of us.

"This is when… those of you who would send my father, your friend, unto his rest, can help me do so."

And we followed him to the water's edge again, eager and willing hands shoving the massive canoe out towards the open sea. No biotics were utilized, I noticed, even though Kolyat hadn't _expressly_ said anything against them.

The giant craft was slowly floating away now, the receding tide pulling it away from shore. Kolyat looked over and nodded at the Raloi, who turned and lit the bunting around the arrowhead with the burning candle.

The Raloi Warden of the Conclave pulled the weapon back to its full strength and then loosed the fire arrow, the smoking missile arcing high before striking the base of the now-distant pyre. Slowly at first, but then before our eyes, the flames licked the dried and specially-treated wood, and the raft burned down to the water's edge.

"A fine shot," I said in a low voice, reaching out a hand to pat Turro on the back before embracing Kolyat, Ko'le and the others following my example. Reyna, of course, poor girl, was standing a short distance away, not too close to smother, but close enough to offer silent support.

"May he find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."

I managed not to actually _scream_ at being so startled, but I still whirled at the sound of my mother's voice.

Samara, Justicar of Athame, stood in a full suit of light armor. Gone was her fashionable plunging neckline, and the high-heeled boots she had sported for most of the mission to the Collectors. This was full-on, no-shit, no-holds-barred war gear.

"Mother…"

"Morinth."

Raw panic went through my head. The last time we had been together was…when Turro and Jane had _rescued_ me from being taken back to the Temple.

"When did you arrive?" I managed.

"Just last night," she answered calmly, as if she _hadn't_ seen me dragged off by unknown assailants the last time she'd seen me. "I and several other Justicars had been deployed to Tiptree, to help with the evacuation there."

 _Tiptree? Wait… no…_

"Joker said his sister was saved by "an avenging angel in red armor," I smiled.

True to form, my mother shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"There were several Justicars there, and several deeds worthy of remembrance."

We stood for a long moment of silence.

"I heard," Mother began, a second before I was about to crack and break the silence, " that the Reapers had attacked Lessus. I went there, fearing the worst."

 _Oh, shit… Here we go._

"I had to save them, Mother," I said hurriedly. "Rila and Falere: they were not safe there."

No response.

"And each of the Ardat-Yakshi that left the Temple with me are all accounted for; I swear it."

I was expecting some diatribe about the Code, or perhaps duty.

I half expected her to just pull her gun and _execute_ my blue ass, right there on the beach.

 _Free Funeral, I guess._

What I was _NOT expecting_ , at ALL, was to be pulled into a tight embrace.

"I was afraid that… I might never see you again… Mirala."

Hearing my childhood name… from my _MOTHER_ , of all people… it hit me. It hit me hard.

"I thought the same… _Mother_."

There was silence for a moment.

 _No dancing around it anymore._

"Your oath…" I began cautiously, "I know it demands…"

My mother only squeezed me tighter.

"The first thing I did when I arrived at the Citadel was renew the Third Oath of Subsumation to Captain Shepard," she whispered. "However this war ends…whatever the future holds… we will face it together: as a family."

The tears came, and I sobbed into my mother's shoulder as she held me on the beach of Kahje.

* * *

 ***STARLIGHT STATION*  
REYNA POV**

The shuttle ride back up to the station had been a quiet one. Everyone had been wonderful to Kolyat. One by one, they had left, offering kind words of love and support. Ko'le and Mordin had departed for his scheduled medical check-up, and Miranda and Jack had gone with them. Turro had left also, along with Morinth and Samara. The others trickled away, leaving only Shepard and Liara, who were speaking to Kolyat in low and whispered tones. Shepard gave him a hug, and Liara followed suit, before turning towards the door. I gave each of them a nod as they passed me.

"Let me know if there's anything I can do," Shepard whispered to me.

I squeezed her hand in answer, and then closed the door behind them. Finally, I was alone my boyfriend. Kolyat was standing on the balcony of his little apartment here on Starlight Station. I walked out to join him. The apartment looked out over the Mezzanine of Starlight Station. Any other day, it was a beautiful view.

Today, however, Kolyat looked out over the station-scape, but I could tell that he was _far_ away. Lost in some memory of the near or distant pass, I did not know. I simply wrapped my arms around him, slowly turning him around to face me before placing a hungry kiss on his soft and tender lips.

"Tell me what you need, _Veaam_ ," I whispered in his ear. "Tell me what to do…"

"I need… to tell him how I felt… one more time," Kolyat breathed, in the moments when we came up for a breath. "I need… to not put off saying the things that I feel… but could not find the words to express."

Hands came around to the small of my back, pressing the nerve clusters there in _just the right way_. Both of our breathing was low and heavy.

"I love you, _Seha_."

I took a breath. He had called me ' _Seha'_ before, as a cute pet name, gently mocking my combat capabilities and my temper.

 _But he has never said the L-Word before…_

A thousand thoughts ran through my mind.

"I love you, too."

That was the only thing that escaped my lips.

"When this is done, I want to get away from it all," Kolyat continued, "Come back here to Kahje, or back to Feros. Just the two of us… start our own family somewhere far, far away from war."

 _After the war…_

 _A family…_

"That sounds… beautiful, my love," I stated, my Vine-heart pulsing a mile a minute. "Anything… and anywhere… so long as it's with you…."

* * *

 ***THE PRESIDUIM** ***  
THE CITADEL  
IN ORBIT ABOVE KAHJE**

 **KO'LE POV**

"Are you sure it was such a good idea to have this party so soon after Thane's funeral?" Liara asked, adjusting the pillows on the couch for the thousandth time. "It seems…callous, somehow."

"I think it's perfect," I answered, from where I was sitting at the table. My offer of help had been turned down flat by the two women. "We've had a lot of suffering and deaths recently. We need something to celebrate."

"Besides being alive?" Shepard called from the second story.

" _Especially_ being alive!" I called back in answer. "Anyway, why are we in Anderson's old apartment? Don't you and Liara have a place nearby?"

"We do," Liara confirmed, "But Becca thought this place would be more suited for tonight's festivities. It's larger… more open, more spacious…"

"And _not_ yours, when stuff gets broken and the apartment gets trashed?"

"Exactly."

The door chimed, announcing the arrival of the first guests.

"You wanted to help?" Shepard called, still from the second story, "Can you let whoever that is in?"

"Using the _Imperator_ of the Conclave as the doorman?" I mocked, "I'm thinking all this fame is starting to go to your head, Shepard."

The door opened to reveal Mira and EDI, with Joker in tow.

"Ko'le!" Mira sprang forward and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Are we too early?"

"You're the first," I answered, stepping back and holding the door open. "Come on in!'

"Hey, Dad," EDI smiled, giving me a peck on the cheek of her own. "The scarring has gone down quite a bit."

"I don't look like a resurrected mummy anymore, you mean," I smiled. "Although I don't know when or if my hair will grow back."

"You're looking _fine_ , Ko'le," Joker reassured, and we shook hands.

"I brought beer!" Mira said, holding up a bag. "The first Rannoch-brewed beer for three centuries!"

"Hey! Awesome!" Shepard called, appearing from the stairway. She was now clad in a simple Alliance T-Shirt and cargo pants. "Tali will be thrilled. I'll add it to the fridge!"

The two androids insisted on participating in the party preparations, apparently more effectively than I had. That left Joker and I standing together, looking out over the Citadel.

"You wouldn't think that the war was only one relay-jump away," Joker stated glumly. "Everyone's talking about what dress the Consort is wearing, what _Blasto_ movie is coming out, and, oh yeah, Giant Space-Squid are here to kill us all."

"They need distractions," I stated simply. "Enough of them will be dying soon enough."

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die," Joker quoted, and I nodded.

"Besides, even victory does not guarantee your safety, Lt. Moreau," I stated flatly. "There is still the matter of you dating my EDI between us..."

Joker's face paled, and he attempted to stutter a response twice before being saved by the doorbell ringing again.

"Morinth… and _Samara_ ," I greeted, surprised to see the Justicar.

"Ko'le," Samara greeted simply, but not unkindly. "It is good to see you well."

"Hey! Come on in!" Shepard called from behind me. "Make yourselves at home!"

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER***

Glyph's upbeat music pounded rhythmically, just above the buzz of conversation.

 _This… seems very surreal. Almost EXACTLY like the DLC of the last game._

"UNKA KO'LE!"

 _ **There are some new deviations**_ **,** Ko'le observed, as Drot came racing past, Grunt in close pursuit, roaring mock-anger at some offense the younger pup had committed. Urdnot Wrex cut them both off, rearing back and delivering a massive head-butt that sent Grunt staggering back a step, before Shepard threw herself between them.

 **Probably out of a greater concern for the furniture rather than for her friends.**

 _No doubt, Beast. But it's good to see everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves for once._

A poker game had been set up in the living room, with Helena Blake dealing a hand to Nom Rota and Kapena, while Jane, Garrus, and Tali looked on crestfallen, having apparently been taken for all of their chips.

"Dad?"

I jolted back to the present, taking the bottle EDI was handing me.

"Thanks, sweetheart," I smiled. "Don't tell Mordin."

"On the contrary, sir," the salarian doctor quipped, suddenly appearing at my shoulder. "Consumption of alcohol in small doses may do wonders medicinally."

"Doctor's orders," I grinned, lifting the bottle in a silent toast before sipping the beverage. I grinned to see Klaang on the far side of the room, keeping Samantha Traynor and Kelly Chambers enthralled with descriptions of the jewelry he made.

 _ **Any other krogan would be telling battle-stories, or bragging of trophies taken.**_

A high-pitched squeal from Drot caused the massive krogan to turn in full "parent mode" before realizing that the pup was now "tackling" Shepard to the ground, the pair rolling dangerously close to the stairs before Grunt took a single step between the steps and the wrestling pair. Klaang let loose a bellowing laugh and headed to his son's aid.

Liara, Turro, Reyna, and Kolyat had apparently opted for a quieter evening: sitting out on the balcony, drinks in hand. Turro had some kind of musical instrument and was apparently sharing "a melody of his homeworld."

I opted not to join them.

'You just stick with me, Esteban!" a booming voice declared from behind me. "Back in _mi escuela,,_ they used to call me "Party Vega…"

"Really?" Ashley was arching an eyebrow at her boyfriend, but grinning all the while, "I hope you got that on a t-Shirt…"

Vega shrugged.

"I ran with a simple crowd."

"Sounds like it," the _Normandy_ 's shuttle pilot answered.

"Hey, Muscles, toss me another beer!" Jack called out from her seat on the other side of the room. Miranda Lawson looked somewhat uncomfortable when Jack had curled into her lap, putting her arms around her in a public display of affection, but she had not voiced any objections. The giant Hispanic tossed the aluminum can across the room, only for it to stop mid-air halfway. Kasumi de-cloaked, and tossed the can the rest of the way, winking before cloaking again.

 _So many gathered here._

 _ **So many who are missing.**_

 **Many who must be remembered.**

"TO ZAEED MASSANI!" I heard my voice shouting, before I could even formulate a coherent thought.

The music and the buzzing conversation ceased, and all eyes turned towards me.

"Toughest son of a bitch I ever met: he will never be forgotten," I continued, letting Ko'le continue in this moment he'd created, and took a pull of the beer in my hand.

There was a moment's silence, and for a moment I was afraid I had been the wet blanket on an otherwise great party.

"To Okeer Basher!" Grunt called out, and there was a strange tightness in the tank-bred's voice. He reached over and took a bottle of Ryncol off the nearby table, biting off and swallowing the cork entirely before pouring a generous helping of the alcohol into his maw. "A FUCKING LEGEND!"

"Karin Chakwas," Jack chimed in, to everyone's surprise. The tattooed woman stood to her feet, lifting her drink in turn. "She was… always there for us," she finished, less confidently than before.

Miranda Lawson rose to stand beside her girlfriend. "Jacob Taylor," she added, "Loyal to the end."

"To Tallaxis of Kahje," Morinth called out from her corner of the room. "He-Who-Kicks-Ass-and-Takes-Names!"

A chuckle ran around the room, as we all took another drink.

"Maelon Heplorn," Mordin spoke up next to me. "He… did what he believed was right."

Urdnot Wrex grunted in agreement before grabbing the bottle from Grunt. "To Kaiden Alenko," the massive warlord said slowly. "He died as all warriors should: taking a horde of foes with him, ensuring victory for clan and kin."

Shepard, Liara, and the other members of the _SR-1_ nodded in remembrance of the kind-hearted lieutenant that many in the room had never met.

"Pyke Morrell!" Turro called out from the sliding balcony door. "He went down fighting, a _skeisie_ among giants!"

"BWOOD AND VINAGERAGERAGER, CHAPPSIES!" Drot called out in near-perfect mimicry of the vorcha Sergeant-Major. It was the perfect break of the solemn silence that had fallen upon us. We grinned, and then chuckled, and then the room was laughing through tears, lifting glasses to toast Thax Drotaxa.

I stepped back into the kitchen, seeking another bottle after toasting so many friends. I found seat by an impressive artwork piece hung on the wall. Someone with more knowledge of art might have been able to tell me if was an Impressionistic piece, or supposed to be more Cubist or some other kind of "ist" that old men in spectacles jibed about.

I stood alone, staring at the painting, drinking to others:

Loras Zobat: my faithful yeoman, killed in Rael'Zorah's and Daro'Xen's foolhardy attempt at a coup,

Elam'Koris vas Qwib Qwib: taking a Blood Pack shotgun blast meant for me on Xentha,

Lia'Vael nar Ulnay, killed in the Collector's boarding of the _Normandy SR-2._

Kai Leng: the assassin who might have been a good man, if circumstances had been different,

Oleg Petrovsky, now-deceased general and former Imperator. The only thing I could think was that the old man had _meant_ well, as best as I could figure, before the Leviathans had gotten their tentacles into him. He had passed away only that morning, having never recovered from his coma.

And I drank to others that ONLY I could mourn:

 _Valiant Dranen, Avatar of Wisdom._

 _Kind-hearted Zek, Avatar of Patience._

 _Chorus of Victory, proud Avatar of Victory._

 _Stalwart Nih'kil, Avatar of Endurance._

 _Big barrel-chested Braka, Avatar of Strength._

 _Lilliande… brave Lilliande… Avatar of Courage._

 _Urush Robbidir…brave… kind…_

"Thought that was you brooding over here."

Mira came up beside me, resting a hand on my shoulder nonchalantly.

"Just remember more fallen," I nodded in answer. "Certainly are a lot of them, and I don't think there's enough alcohol on the Citadel to toast them all."

Mira grinned mirthlessly, and snuggled in close to me, snaking an arm around my waist, and nestling her head under my chin.

"And now the greatest fleet perhaps EVER assembled in the recorded history of the Universe will be without the Protheans," I continued.

"Not _entirely_ without a representative," Mira countered, arching a brow at me.

I shook my head.

"If there is one thing this experience has taught me, Mira, it is that I am _not_ a Prothean, any more than I am a human. I am both, and yet neither at the same time. Earth is no longer my home; any more than Protea ever was.

But I will fight for Protea's memory, and for Earth's future."

Mira pulled away, and turned my chin to look directly into my eyes.

"None of this would have been possible without you, Kevin," she said decisively. "Without you… Saren might have succeeded those four years ago, and we could have been wiped out already.

Without you, I _certainly_ would have died in that alleyway just a few kilometers from where we're standing now.

Without you, the Conclave would never have been formed, and most of the galaxy would still be at each other's throats right now, rather than united under the banner of the Conclave.

Without you, Cerberus would still be free to do _God-knows-what_ , taking advantage of everyone else's disorganization and chaos."

"Without you," Morinth added, suddenly appearing on my other side, and equally close, "the Shadow Broker would still be feeding information to the Collectors, who would still be raiding human colonies at will. The Raloi would still be in the first stages of development, and the krogan would still be languishing under the genophage."

The Ardat-Yakshi leaned in and gently kissed my left cheek.

"And I or my mother would be dead right now," she said solemnly.

I was blushing now at the listing of all of "my" accomplishments.

"I have every confidence that Shepard would have been able to deal with those problems," I managed.

Mira shook her head.

"If you hadn't been there, she would have _killed_ the Thorian without so much as a second thought. She would have gassed the Rachni Queen where she stood, and slept like a baby that night. She would have _helped_ Gerrel and the rest of the quarians wipe out the geth.

Yeah, we might _not have died_ , maybe. But it's because of _you_ that we have the strength you see before you."

Every fiber of my being wanted to say something to divert praise, or to give credit elsewhere, but I managed to bite them all back.

"Thank you both," I eventually said aloud. "If you don't mind, I would sit here alone for a while."

"I _do_ mind."

My head jerked back to Mira, as she planted a kiss full-on my lips. I vaguely remember a murmur of surprise on my end before another pair of hands wrapped around my chest, pulling me backwards into the nearby bedroom.

" _Shhhh_ ," Morinth's voice murmured in my ear. "Just let this happen, Ko'le…"

A thousand thoughts were racing through my head, but none of them turned into coherent threads I could grasp. I reached out in the Mind-Share…

…and was transported to a white plain, two beautiful women beside me. I looked down to see _who_ exactly… I was.

Ko'le rugged Neanderthal form was now clad in Kevin's Firefly T-Shirt and denim blue jeans.

 _Ko'le… Beast?_

No answer came to my mental call.

"Mira? Morinth?"

"We're here," Mira purred, stepping closer to take my hand.

"I can see that… but… how?" I asked. "You're… I mean… technically speaking…"

"An A.I. and an Ardat-Yakshi," Morinth marveled, stepping closer to me. "This isn't a meld… so we're safe from… you know…"

"Dying a horrible death?"

"Should be."

"Wow, that's horribly uncomforting."

"It's very simple, actually," Mira continued, kissing my neck now. "You two are interacting _brain to brain_ , you and I via your cybernetic implants. _E voila_ , here we all are."

"I didn't think that was possible," I murmured, unsure how to deal with two gorgeous women on either side of me. "I mean, technically…"

"Ko'le?"

"Yes?"

"This _is_ happening. So please…in the most loving way possible: shut up."

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER*  
MIRA POV**

I slowly slid out of the bed, being careful to drape the sheet back over Ko'le and Morinth's slumbering forms. Morinth absently-mindedly reached out, curling an arm around Ko'le's scarred torso, making a small mewling sound in her sleep.

 _If I was fully organic… would I have feelings of jealousy, I wonder?_

As it was, it had been a wonderful evening with Morinth and Kevin. Or at least, I was pretty sure it had been Kevin the whole evening. Beast's guttural tones and Ko'le's shunning of contractions hadn't made their appearances. Instead, it had been Kevin's naïve concern for everyone else's pleasure. Even my assurances that my being a machine had meant there was no need to reciprocate had fallen on deaf ears. More for their sakes than anything else, I had run several simulations of being pleasured. Finally, the asari and the Neanderthal had succumbed to sleep in the early hours of the morning, while I had been content to sit back and watch them sleep, taking no small amount of satisfaction in my work.

Walking through the apartment revealed several of last night's revelers in various stages of inebriation and slumber. Jack and Miranda had settled on the couch, while other couples had taken their leave. A quick ping to EDI revealed her to be at Joker's apartment.

 _Darling girl_. _I hope they find happiness in each other._

Two figures stood out on the balcony, enjoying Kahje's first sun rise over the Citadel. The second would not be appearing for several hours, yet. Shepard and Liara stood leaning against one another, both holding cups of what smelled like Thessian coffee.

"Am I disturbing you?" I asked, not wanting to intrude on any private moments. Shepard turned towards me and smiled.

"Mira! Not at all: come join us."

"Did you rest well?" Liara asked.

"As a synthetic, I do not possess the need for regenerative sleep, Liara," I answered. "But it was… an enjoyable night, nonetheless."

"Sounded like it," Shepard grinned before Liara elbowed her in the ribs.

"From the sounds and thermal readings of your bedroom, I take it you also passed a pleasurable night?" I asked, turning the good-natured joking back on the pair.

"Um… uh... yes," Liara answered, obviously uncomfortable with the subject, "It…was."

"Guess we're getting back to it," I said simply, leaning on the rail to emulate the other two, "I suppose it's "back to the fight?"

Shepard nodded.

"At least we threw one hell of a party…probably the last one."

"Shepard," Liara crooned, seeing her bondmate's face fall, "We'll find a way to win. But whatever happens, we'll face it together."

"Conclave, Citadel, Terminus, Hegemony, and Krogans," I mused quietly. "Who would have thought?"

"Who indeed?" Shepard echoed, as the blue rays of sunlight washed over us. "Who indeed?"

" _Once more unto the breach, fair friends,"_ came a voice from behind us. " _Once more, or close up the wall with our English dead."_

My servers ran a process as Ko'le joined us, wearing only the pants he had sported the evening before.

"Henry V, Act three, scene one," I stated, receiving a confirming nod from the scarred man.

"Good morning, Shepard," he greeted the Spectre. "Liara… Spoon."

"Alright, WHY do you keep saying that?" Liara asked, confused and exasperated, by her tone.

Ko'le smiled, and then hos eyes went white as he reached over to touch Liara's hand, and her eyes went white for just a moment. Then she blushed a _deep_ blue, almost purple, putting her head in her hands.

" _Oh, GODDESS_ ," she exhaled, rubbing furiously, as if to expunge whatever memories Ko'le had shared with her from her mind. " _Athame, no…"_

"What?" Shepard and I asked. "What? What did you see?"

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **Well, everyone, this is the end of the Intermission: the long-expected party. It's very different from the DLC, but at the same time, very much the same. This chapter proved to be much harder to write than I anticipated. It seemed weird to write a scene in which… nobody was shooting anything.**

 **And Kevin found some slight solace in the arms of two certain ladies…**

 **Next week will be the culmination. The End-All. In the words of the band Europe: "It's the Final Countdown…"**

 **This adventure began as a writing project, published July 21, 2015. If anyone had told me then that two years from now, I'd be close to finishing the** _ **fourth installment**_ **of the story, with a supporting story and a collaborative crossover to match, I'd've called them an unrealistic optimist. Or a liar.**

 **I deeply appreciate you all. Some of you have been with me from the beginning, and some of you just got here. Most are somewhere in-between. Whatever category you fall into, just know that I am very glad you're here. And that you ROCK!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Squadpunk 2.0, general-joseph-dickson, Blueowl, BJ Hanssen – Thane's death always makes me cry in the games, the first time I played through and the 47th time.

TheRedMezek – Then we can only go with Kevin's dad's recommendation: Just keep on moving forward…

griezz – I hope you enjoyed Drot.

Tahkaulus01 – I know, right?! LOL

METALHELLSPWN – I will toast with you, my friend!

Tom712 – Wish granted. ;)

ronnambi – He did not, in this universe. Here, it was the normal course of Kepler's Syndrome.

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	25. Conclusion: Part One - The Arrival

***FOB** ** _MEMORIAM STATION_** *  
 **UNDISCLOSED LOCATION**

My helmet seals _hissed_ as the samurai-type helmet locked into place. While my role in the battle ahead was going to be mostly in space, only a fool went around a ship in combat without a helmet. A pinhole-sized hole _anywhere_ in the massive ship, and life support went down to absolute zero in milliseconds.

I strode across the giant cargo bay of Memoriam Station (aka _the Crucible_ ), escorted by the Conclave Battle Group Two. The massive station was acting as the mobile FOB I had always intended it to. Most of the twisted Leviathan/Rachni integrations had been undone, and gunners and normal drones stood side by side in the alcoves, maintaining systems, patching communication relays, and manning the massive Inusannon cannons the station still supported. I cursed silently again that we hadn't had the time to turn the giant "REAPER KILLER" weapon back into operational status, rather than focusing array for Oleg Petrovsky's "Crucible."

 _If wishes were fishes…_

I took another look at small ship docked in the shipping bay. While _Harmony-From-Chaos_ and her brood had offered me a place on the _Queen's Voice_ , the massive Rachni Broodship, and Helena Blake had offered command of the massive dreadnought-class _Azazael_ , I had chosen to make the _Iswanee_ my flagship, yielding command of the _Agamemnon_ to Morinth and her Ardat-Yakshi. The ancient _Ohulu-_ class freighter was uniquely equipped as a Command Center, and ( _I hoped)_ it would appear to the Reapers as the _very_ last ship that would house the Fleet's Commander.

Nom Rota saluted as I approached, as did his nephew Iliaas, both volus in their normal combat armors, leaving their heavy mechs onboard the ship. The young asari twins were also standing at the ready at their stations, overseen by a watchful Kapena, who gave an elegant elcor bow.

"We're all set to go, Boss-clan," Nom chuckled. "The old girl is ready to fly…for the last time."

"Let's hope not for the _last_ time," I replied, returning the smile and the salute.

Iliaas chuckled in his turn.

"Uncle says, win or lose, he's gonna retire the old girl to a place of honor on our ranch on Alahya," he explained.

"Captain Rota," I said, adopting a serious tone for a moment. "If we win this battle, I promise that the _Iswanee_ shall hold a place of honor outside the Hall of Heroes on Sanctuary itself. She was the first registered ship of the _Conclave_ , and she will remain the First Vessel of the Conclave… always."

I thought the little volus would burst with pride at my words, but he only nodded and turned away to take his place in the main pilot's chair.

"So Boss-clan, let's get the old girl in the air, say you true?"

"Indeed, my friend."

Kapena moved to take the elcor co-pilot controls, while Iliaas and the twins moved below to take their places in the engine room.

As the _Iswanee_ moved out of the docking bay and into open space, even though I _knew_ it was there, the sight still caused me to take a breath:

Ships were stretched out in formation, as far as the eye could see: volus freighters, asari corvettes, turian battleships, Alliance cruisers. Old, new, refurbished, and every stage in-between, the collective might of the galaxy was gathered in a single location.

I opened a channel:

"This is the Imperator. All fleets, report your status."

The grinding sub-harmonics of Conclave General Septimus Oraka came first.

 **"Battle Group One is armed and ready."**

 **"Battle Group Two is awaiting your orders,"** General Randall Ezno reported next.

Helena Blake actually appeared on the ship's small holo projector on the console.

 **"The Black Suns are cleared for action,** ** _Imperator_** **."**

Liselle T'Loak's black-armored figure appeared next to her.

 **"Terminus forces are standing by."**

To her credit, the Queen of Omega had threatened, cajoled, and called in every favor she had to pull together the bulk of the Terminus military power, leaving her own colonies and homebase perilously weak.

 _But then again, none of this will matter if we're not successful._

 ** _Victory or death._**

 _Precisely._

The two figures vanished and an unfortunately familiar face came into view.

 **"The Eclipse stands ready,"** Jona Sederis stated. **"We await your signal."**

The fact that the Eclipse founder was leading this attack herself had been… unexpected. But then again, she remained one of the only persons in the galaxy who her daughters hated, feared, and respected more than each other.

An ice-cold voice came over the radio next, crisp, brief, and to the point:

 **"Imperia fleet standing by."**

That would be Yan T'Ravt's Admiral MacKinnon, leading every Xenthan ship the Lady could spare from her considerable resources, and a few that she couldn't'.

Xerol Shaaryak appeared on the screen, fully-armored, ever-present cane in hand.

 **"Batarian Faithful standing strong,** ** _Imperator_** **. Pillars of Heart and Strength be with us."**

I nodded my thanks as more confirmations began reeling in:

Mira's charming voice transmitted next:

 **"The Geth are standing ready, Ko'le."**

The various asari, turian, salarian, and Alliance forces reported a similar state of readiness.

"Curiously," Kapena reported, "We have an incoming warp signature."

With a thundering _whoosh_ , the ancient dreadnought _Kalros' Fury_ warped out of FTL, followed by a host of similarly-ancient cruisers and obviously-converted ore haulers and cargo ships.

 **"Alright, you** ** _pyjak_** **s,"** Urdnot Wrex rumbled, **"The Krogan are here to win** ** _another_** **war for you. Let's get this done."**

I smiled, but before I could reply, a beeping on the console drew my attention.

"Outgoing broadcast from the _Normandy_ , Boss-clan," reported Nom, "Broadcasting to all frequencies."

 _Time for an epic Shepard speech._

"Patch it through," I ordered, "General broadcast."

But when the switch was made, it was the gravelly voice of Steven Hackett that came across the airwaves:

 ** _"Never before have so many come together from all quarters of the galaxy. But never before have we faced an enemy such as this._**

 ** _The Reapers will show us no mercy; We must give them no quarter._**

 ** _They will terrorize our populations; We must stand fast in the face of that terror._**

 ** _They will advance until our last city falls, but we will not fall._**

 ** _We will prevail._**

 ** _Each of us will be defined by our actions in the coming battle. Stand fast. Stand strong. Stand together._**

 _ **Hackett out."**_

* * *

 ***EARTH** *  
 **SOL SYSTEM**

The arrival at the Sol System was even more breathtaking than our departure from the Base Camp. It fell under the copious events that were "more spectacular than the games."

The sight of the _Destiny Ascension_ coming out of FTL absolutely dwarfed all the other vessels around her, at least until the _Queen's Voice_ came out alongside her.

The fleet moved in surprising unison, each group moving to its predetermined zone of fire.

Neptune passed us by.

Jupiter passed us by.

We moved through the Belt, the red sands of Mars coming into sharp focus now. All scans had shown _zero_ life-signs from the various Martian research station and colonies.

And then the blue speck in the distance grew larger and larger, and the Reaper armada with it.

And all the continents _burning_ of the major population centers came into unfortunate clarity. And in the distance, dark specks began to cluster together.

 **REAPERS.**

Beast's snarl of rage was cut by an authoritative voice broadcasting wide.

 ** _"This is it, everyone,_** **"** Shepard's voice came over the radio. **"** ** _Be ready on my signal!"_**

Geth-targeting programs, executing _millions_ of calculations per second, began relaying targeting information to each gunner's stations on the _thousands_ of ships in Shepard's Reclamation Fleet. Even with our numbers, we couldn't afford to have _any_ wasted shots. Especially as _missing_ meant that the shots would travel down to the planet below, potentially ruining _someone's day_.

 _Sir Isaac Newton: the deadliest son of a bitch in space, indeed._

 **"FIRE!"**

 _Each_ vessel fired, simultaneously. A _wall of fire_ (I couldn't come up with any kind of descriptor) moved toward the Reaper fleet. Almost simultaneously, red trails of fire came from the planet towards our collective fleet.

"Evasive maneuver Seven! NOW!" I called out.

 _Very carefully_ , several ships _dove_ giving room for the vessels above to plot evasive maneuvers out of the path of the incoming fire-trails.

Far in the distance, I could see explosions tearing apart the distant Reaper figures. Much closer, several of our ships that either hadn't been able to maneuver out of the way, or had unwarily maneuvered _into_ other lanes of fire burst into flame, the massive turbo-lasers burning through shields and armor alike.

 **"Launch all fighters! All flight wings, Launch!"** came the order from the Butcher of Torfan, Hannah Shepard's voice rising in the seasoned intensity of a veteran commander. **"Hammer Force, follow the** ** _Normandy_** **down. Make for the surface!"**

Carriers poured forth their fighter craft, and the cargo ships released their shuttles and ground assault vessels. Glancing down at the screen, I could see the _Normandy_ 's signature lead the others down towards the southern hemisphere of the planet.

 _Good luck, Shepard,_ I silently willed. _Would that I could go with you to the surface. But my destiny lies elsewhere._

Then the drones came.

The tiny little _fuckers_ bobbed and weaved, individually mostly harmless in and of themselves, but then suddenly twenty of them would join together and fire a massive beam that would knock out a ship's engines or cripple a turbo-laser.

"Shield Force, move to screen Hammer," I ordered. "Oraka, redirect Squadrons Eight through Twelve to keep these bastards off the main fleet!"

"Hadasi, Drella, get on the turrets!" Nom Rota ordered on the shipboard intercom. "Clear us a path through these Plexus-damned _eiaquah_!"

I saw one of the twins pass through the main chamber, headed to the giant turret on the top of the ship, while the sounds of a hatch opening below told of the other taking manual control of the lower one.

Precisely at that moment, the _Maia_ fired, the combined fire of the _Pleiades_ coursing through the focusing dish. The beam tore a grievous wound down the side of the nearest Reaper, leaving it drifting and vulnerable to the two torpedoes the _Iswanee_ launched towards it.

Kevin moved the background, Ko'le now almost in total control: The Seneschal of Protea directing ships to plug a hole _here_ , to target an enemy _there_ , or to shield a wounded friendly vessel as it limped back towards the mobile stations that had since warped into the System. Kronos, Lazarus, Typhon and Minuteman Stations: Cerberus' bastions had been remade and repurposed for this final battle. And in the middle of the four stations, sat Memoriam: the Inusannon-made _Crucible_. These five stations served as our forward operating base, our hospital, and our supply center. Rachni drones from all three hives stood ready to effect whatever repairs were possible.

"They're falling back, Boss-clan!" Nom Rota pointed excitedly.

Sure enough, as more of their brethren were torn apart by our combined and focused fire, several Reapers began turning and _booking it_ towards distant Mercury.

 _Already? Wow… that was… easy._

 ** _Too easy, Kevin._**

 **Beast agrees: far too easy.**

 **"Ko'le?"** another voice interrupted our musings. **"Can you read me?"**

The holographic figure of Shepard came online, along with figures of the other principal fleet commanders.

 **"Glad you all could make it to the party,"** Admiral Anderson grinned, but his face looked worn and weary, like he had aged _decades_ in the past few months.

"Glad to see you alive, _old man_ ," I retorted, keeping the tone playful.

 **"The Reapers are pulling back towards your system's sun, Captain,"** Sederis stated, **"But this was too easy by** ** _half."_**

"I agree," I nodded, "This is undoubtedly a trap."

 **My krogan are wasted up here in orbit, Shepard,"** Wrex grunted, " **I'm putting as many boots on the ground as I can. You just tell us where."**

Anderson nodded **. "We're coordinating most of our efforts around Vancouver, here on the northern continent."**

 **"But the main Reaper processing station is in London, here,"** Shepard added, bringing up the island of Great Britain. **"It's where they've set up most of their dragon teeth."**

The human Spectre closed her eyes for a second.

 **"It's…. it's bad."**

All of the figures around the table nodded silently, each of them having seen the horrors of a Reaper occupation first-hand. I shook my head and did my best not to laugh at the irony of the situation: only a few short _months_ ago, the idea of the Reapers was considered by most to be the delusional ravings of madmen.

 ** _How far we have come…_**

"We need to strike there, and quickly," I added aloud, "We will set up a defensive perimeter in orbit. The survivors of the conflict here have no doubt broadcasted our presence to their brethren in the surrounding systems: when the Reapers counter-attack, they will be swift and deadly."

 **"Just so,"** Xerol Shaaryak nodded, **"I can deploy my ships** _ **here…"**_

* * *

 ***SHEPARD POV***

 **LONDON, GREAT BRITAIN  
EARTH  
SOL SYSTEM**

 **"Good luck, Shepard. And if we live through this, drinks are on me."**

Kasumi's image flicked and went out. I sighed and nodded at the communications officer, slowly striding out of Anderson's temporary Command Center.

"Everyone ready?" Ash asked me, falling in stride just beside me.

"Wrex and Grunt are setting up in Australia," I answered. "They'll be using it as a launching base into southern Asia."

"Krogan in Australia," Vega chuckled, joining us. "They must be right at home."

"Jack, Miranda, and the rest of the Grissom Grizzlies are south of our position," I continued, "And Samara is north of the city."

" _Esteban?"_ Vega asked, concern on his face all of the sudden.

"Brought the shuttle down safely," reported Liara, looking up across the table from Tali and Garrus. "He's apparently found himself a Trident and will be joining the air support column."

"Of course he is," Jane chuckled from the corner of the room. "Damn fool couldn't just sit back and rest on the laurels of _flying through_ a goddam Reaper blockade. He's gotta jump right back into the fight."

"Could YOU just sit back and watch?" I asked my…. _Sister_ , the title sounding so right in my head.

Jane pursed her lips together, but nodded at my point.

"What's the word from Mom?"

I chuckled and shook my head.

"Last time anybody saw her, she was leading the attack in Vancouver, dual-wielding M-920s."

Jane smiled as the rest of the room chuckled.

"We'll need the Butcher _and_ the Lioness before this is over," she grinned.

Tali cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention.

"Hammer Force is ready to being our offensive into the heart of London," she reported, bringing up a map marking our various positions. "EDI is running full cyber-warfare sweeps to keep our systems clear, and the word from all beach-heads is that there are no Reaper Behemoths left on the planet, just Harvesters and Destroyers."

"The only problem being that there's a few _thousand_ of them, which means only a couple _million_ husks,"  
Garrus added, "ranging from Brutes, Cannibals, and Banshees."

Grim looks came over the faces of everyone present.

"Anybody miss combing backwater planets looking for Iridium deposits?"

 _That_ earned me a couple of laughs and wry grins.

 _How far we've come in only a few short years._

 _Mein Gott, I wouldn't trade any of these friends for an army or fleet of dreadnoughts._

"This war's brought us pain, and suffering, and loss," I began slowly, and faces and names rose in my mind's eye:

 _Kaiden Alenko._

 _Richard Jenkins._

 _Zaeed Massani._

 _Jacob Taylor._

 _Karin Chakwas._

 _"_ But it's also brought us together, as soldiers, allies... friends. This bond that ties us together is something that the Reapers will never understand. It's more powerful than any weapon, stronger than any ship. It can't be taken or destroyed."

I bent over and picked up my rifle.

"The next few hours will decide the fate of everyone in the galaxy. Every mother. Every son. Every unborn child. They're trusting you. Depending on you to win them their future. A future free from the threat of the Reapers!"

All around us I could _sense_ more than see other soldiers, Alliance and otherwise, gathering up to listen to my words. Liara was in my peripheral vision, but I could _feel_ a pulse of admiration and confidence from my bondmate; emotions which I channeled into my challenge.

"But take heart! Look around you! You're not in this fight alone. We face our enemy together, and together, we will defeat them."

Now the looks around me were resolute, confident, and full of hope.

"You all know your places," I concluded, " _Gott sei mit euch allen:_ God be with you all."

I began walking with Ashley and Liara, heading over to Anderson's table, where I could see several other of the Resistance leaders had gathered.

 **"SHEPARD?! ANDERSON!?"**

"What is it, Ko'le?" Anderson asked, bringing up his Omni-Tool.

 **"We've got a** ** _massive_** **Relay activation incoming."**

I winced, if only internally.

"It was too much to hope that the Reapers would just leave us alone while we mopped up here," I answered. "How are you all set?"

 **"As well as we can, I th…FATHER AND MOTHER SAVE US."**

"What? What is it?" Anderson's and my voices were nearly simultaneous.

 **"IT'S THE FATHER-DAMNED CITADEL!"**

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I hope you all have enjoyed the first section of the FINAL battle here in Beacon's Effect.**

 **More to come (Obviously), the chapter was just getting too long and unwieldy, so I made the executive decision to break it in half.**

 **ROCK ON!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

Reviewer Responses:

Lyceris, ronnambi, griezz, BJ Hanssen – Yes, "Spoon" was the very first word Liara every said to Ko'le when he awoke on Therum. Ko'le was Mind-Sharing the memories of that very first encounter, much to Liara's embarrassment.

general-joeseph-dickson – It was tough for me to write, to be honest.

jessetimm5491 – Think of it not as an end, but perhaps as the start of a new beginning. ;)

Appbeza – More to come on that strange relationship (if it can be called that yet, really).

Guest – I'm also looking forward to more Skyrim.

Tahkaullus01 – Perhaps… maybe… or maybe not.

Tom712 – Fast and Furious/Mass Effect crossover, anybody? :P

maesde, METALHELLSPWN, seabo76, OnkelJo, KyuubiNodachi, Deathknight999, The Enclave Assassin, griezz – It's readers and reviewers who are the reason we've gotten so far. Love you all!

* * *

May the Father accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.

EE-RAH!


	26. Conclusion: Part Two- The Catalyst

***EARTH** *  
 **SOL RELAY**

"With disbelieving incredulity: Impossible. With increasing dread: Is that who I think it is surrounding it?"

Kapena's question hung in the air unanswered as the _MASSIVE_ figure of the Citadel could be seen drawing closer and closer. The arms were closed, expanding as it drew closer to Earth _much too fast_ , giving the appearance of a spider moving through space.

But more frightening than that were the multiple figures flanking the massive station. At first glance, I had thought in a panic that the Reapers had seized control of the station. However… as the Citadel drew nearer…

" **SENESCHAL."**

The Mind-Share hit me with all the subtlety of a train-wreck. Along with a sense of _intense dread_.

"Xiz'matchi…"

" **WE SERVE AND OBEY THE FIRST MASTERS**."

 _ **Leviathans**_ _._

 _God FUCKING DAMN IT._

" **THE DARKNESS MUST NOT BE BREACHED."**

The Mind-Palace, or Mind-Ruin, as it perhaps could be called (now) came into startling vivid clarity. And across the expanse, staring back at me, was the figure of a Leviathan.

" **ORDAINED…"**

"Levi…" I answered cautiously, trying to keep Ko'le and Beast's respective contempt and hate out of my voice. "The _FUCK_ are you doing here?"

" **WE HAVE COME TO FINISH THIS FIGHT."**

"NOooo," I said slowly, "That's why _I'm_ doing."

A _shuddering_ of amusement came through the Mind-Share, with the same haughty distain as when a toddler tells you they have built a castle.

" **IF YOU HAD TEN THOUSAND TIMES MORE SHIPS, IT WOULD TAKE ONE OF YOUR FINITE LIFETIMES TO HUNT OUR CREATIONS DOWN AND PURGE THEM FROM THE GALAXY."**

 _Shit._

 _ **Father damned-**_

"What have you done?" I asked 'aloud'. Unfortunately, I was pretty sure of what that answer was going to be.

" **WE HAVE, TO BORROW YOUR QUAINT MORTAL PHRASES, 'PLAYED OUR HAND.'"**

A sinking feeling crept into the pit of my stomach.

"And what in the Father's Name does that mean?"

" **WE HAVE USED THE CITADEL FOR ITS ORIGINAL PURPOSE: TO DISPATCH AND TO SUMMON OUR CREATIONS ACROSS THE GALAXY."**

My fists clenched reflexively.

"To summon… Father and Mother, you didn't…."

The Mind-Share ended, and I was once again on the deck of the _Iswanee_ , helplessly watching the folly of the Leviathans unfold.

With a crackling _WHOOSH_ , a blue bolt fired from the Presidium Tower, from a location I already knew to be the Relay Monument. The work of Saren Arterius _,_ the goal of Nazara's entire geth campaign, was accomplished in a flicker of an eye.

A bolt detonated, and a black Void opened, brilliant and beautiful as it was terrifying.

From which Reapers began to pour through. HUNDREDS OF THEM.

"With growing dread: Father and Mother save us," Kapena said slowly.

Within _seconds_ , our carefully-orchestrated plan to repulse the Reaper counter-attack went from 'Not Bad' to 'Absolute SHIT.' Frigates, destroyers, and dreadnoughts were torn apart by the sheer firepower of the Reapers, and we had not been in _any_ sort of position to coordinate our fire.

"Reapers-FUCKING-appear-directly-via-wormhole" had not been on ANY of our contingency plans or back-up plans.

Father save us, it hadn't even been on my 'Everything-goes-FUBAR' plan.

On top of the screams and panicked cries of captains trying to get their fleets in some kind of formation, reports came streaming in of crewmembers suddenly going black-eyed, or passing out altogether.

 _DAMN YOU, LEVI!_

And THEN Memoriam Station began to move.

"Renin, REPORT! What's going on?" I asked, already dreading the answer.

" **Imperator,"** came the batarian captain's reply. **"… we've lost control of the station. All systems are non-responsive!"**

 _God FUCKING-_

And then the suddenly the Leviathan's voices were in our heads.

ALL OF OUR HEADS.

" **THE CRUCIBLE IS THE END, MORTALS. THE END OF OUR ANCESTORS' FOLLY: THE END OF OUR EXILE."**

"Enough of this Bullshit," I winced, "Nom! Put us inside that station!"

"Yes, Boss-clan," Nom wheezed, his voice sounding strained, but the _Iswanee_ swung left and low, taking us towards the massive Inusannon Station that was now tipping over, creeping closer and closer to the now-open Citadel and the Presidium Tower. Panels that I didn't even _know_ existed unfolded, and the giant focusing dish drifted into place and docked with the Citadel, ironically gently and calmly, given the apocalypse unfolding around it.

And then the giant figure of a Leviathan gorram _appeared_ in front of us. The massive tentacles _seized_ the ancient vessel in an impossible grip as lights flickered and alarms began blaring from every corner of the control panel.

" **YOU CANNOT HOPE TO RESIST,"** came the voice in our head again.

Kapena let out some sort of groan and slumped over in his chair, wincing in _incredible_ pain **.** Above and below, I'm pretty sure I heard the twins screaming in agony.

Or maybe that was just me.

" **ALL SHALL KNEEL BEFORE THE FIRST MASTERS."**

And then a familiar voice cut into the horrifically painful sound of the Leviathan's drawl:

" **Not… all."**

A blue beam of the _Agamemnon's_ Thanix cannon streaked across the Leviathan's side, causing it to screech in pain, releasing the _Iswanee_.

The incessant pain ceased in a blissful moment of relief, and then my Omni-Tool _beeped_. Morinth's face appeared in the viewscreen.

And her eyes were as black as night.

"Morinth!" I called out in alarm. "Are you alrigh-"

" **Losing… control… lover boy,"** the Ardat Yakshi gasped, her every word a painful gasp. **"They're in… our heads… damn implants…such a goddess-damn fool.."**

"Get your sisters out of here, Morinth!' I shouted, cursing my helplessness. Morinth only shook her head in answer.

" **Gotta…Clear the way for you… My Love. Ee-rah…"**

"Morinth," I breathed, rising panic in my chest, then my voice rising into a frenzied cry, "No, don't do it! NO! DO. NOT. DO IT!"

The Ardat-Yakshi snarled in terrible pain, and then for a brief instant, her eyes cleared and she and her sisters behind her cried their defiance to the Eldritch horrors in that threatened to overwhelm their minds:

" **WE. ARE. NOT. YOUR. SLAVES!"**

I was only vaguely aware of my screams as we beheld the _Agamemnon_ collide with the Lovecraftian monster, the ship's implosion ripping impossibly-ancient organic flesh apart.

* * *

 ***LONDON*  
UNITED KINGDOM  
EARTH  
SOL RELAY**

"We have to pull back," Major Coats gasped, his rib still stinging where he had taken that Brute's hit.

Urdnot Dagg reloaded and nodded agreement.

"They're sending a shit-ton of those _Marauders_ and _Brutes_ our way," he growled. "Too many for even my lads to handle."

General Corinthus nodded, the turian folding his hands behind his back, studying the map the major had placed in front of him.

"Where are we now?" he asked, peering at the twisted roads and alleyways.

"Here, sir,' Coats answered, putting a finger on the holo-display. "Waltham Cross. And the goddam Reapers are sending their lads straight down _here_ , down High Street."

"Very well," the turian relented, "pull our forces back to… the old M-25. Use the highway as your defensive line. Major Kirrahe, can your STG teams rig these command points to blow as we pull out?"

Before the salarian could answer, an ear-splitting screech pierced the air. Their first thought had been "Banshee" and each dreaded the prospect of having to put down another of the turned and twisted asari husks. However, the blue figure that raced past them let loose another howl, and the pain and sorrow in that war-cry was evident to all, enough to break the heart.

The asari, clad from head to toe in the red armor of the Justicar Order, launched herself towards the Reaper charge. It was an impossible leap, followed by an impossible landing, blue waves of biotic energy lashing out to scatter all those not wise enough to flee.

Salarians, turians, krogan, asari and humans looked on dumb-struck. For as long as each of them lived, they all told the story of the Justicar's charge into the Reaper Horde. None of them, NOT ONE OF THEM, had ever seen anything like it. It was all they could do not to stand helplessly and watch the devastation unfold before their eyes.

"MOVE, KROGAN!" Urdnot Dagg finally roared, finding his voice. "HAHAHA! THAT WARRIOR DESERVES NOT TO DIE ALONE!"

"All batteries, concentrate your fire on Sector G-12," Coats began relaying rapidly into his Omni-Tool, snapped back to reality. "Grid reference Alpha-Delta-Nine-Eight-Eleven…"

Kirrahe pulled his SMG free from his back, waving his team forward.

"With me, soldiers! HOLD THE LINE!"

Far off in the distance now, Corinthus could see the blue flashes of light in the distance, the only sounds from that direction being the panicked screams of the Reaper's abominations and the primal rage of a mother that had lost her daughters.

After a long while, deep in the heart of the Reaper's own territory, the flashes grew fewer and fewer, and then fell silent. But in her wake followed the renewed Alliance offensive, stepping over the bodies of _hundreds_ of fallen husks, eager to not let her sacrifice be in vain.

" _Spirits_ ," whispered the turian commander privately, " _Whomever that asari was, be kind unto her as she rejoins her ancestors. She may have just saved every one of the soldiers here."_

So passed Samara, Justicar of Athame, and thus did she avenge her daughters.

* * *

 ***THE CITADEL*  
IN ORBIT ABOVE EARTH**

"All fleets, this is the Imperator: The Crucible is armed. Disengage and fall back to the rendezvous point!"

I wheeled, firing my Battle Rifle at another Keeper rushing us from the right.

"I repeat, disengage and get the hell out of here!"

Iliaas turned, his heavy exosuit's Rail Rifle keeping the other swarming Keepers at bay. Kapena's chain-guns were opening fire, clearing us a path forward.

Nom Rota was still standing on the gangplank of the _Iswanee_ , defending his ship. The young asari twins had both passed out after the Leviathan's mental attacks, and we could not simply leave them behind unguarded.

And so here we were, with the _Iswanee_ crash-landed on the Presidium Council Chamber, and the three of us were fighting towards the infamous Station Master Control Panel.

 _So… I am Saren now, in a final middle finger to Irony: fighting my way up the Presidium Tower for the THIRD TIME._

 _I have no fucking idea what I'm going to DO if we even get a second to examine this Control Panel._

 _ **That was not in your games, Kevin.**_

A Keeper thrust a spear at my face, which I batted aside and stabbed with my Omni-Blade. The Keeper's eyes went black, and the Voice of the First Masters echoed again in my brain:

" **THE DARKNESS MUST NOT BE BREACHED."**

" _But even the darkest night gives way to Dawn."_

At my retort of the Master Phrase Old Levi had taught me when He/It had brought me to this universe, the Keeper's Omni-Tool _beeped._

The Control Panel _beeped_.

And then suddenly, there was a flash of _brilliantly_ white light.

And I found myself standing in…

 _Oh my god._ _Not here…._

Two columns stood on either side of me. And in front of me, a column of energy flowed out, keeping the Void open.

 _This is the absolute stupidest part of the game._

 **All our choices. All of our actions**.

 _And we're still back to three FUCKING choices._

 _ **All of them bad.**_

 _Any second now, we're going to be confronted by that stupid ki-_

"Welcome."

I spun on my heel to see the shimmery holographic figure of….

 _Vicki…_

The figure before me took the form of Kevin's girlfriend, back on his Earth…

 _On OUR Earth….GOD, I'd almost… God help me, I'd forgotten…_

"No doubt you have questions," the feminine voice said, gently and sweetly. "I am…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP."

The figure seemed to recoil in surprise and shock at my guttural snarl.

"I know VERY WELL who you are, CATALYST," I spat, raw and bitter hate at the _theft_ of Vicki's likeness washing over me and spilling over into my words. "You do not _CONTROL_ the Reapers. YOU FUCKING ARE ONE."

The figure seemed to cock her head at me, expressionless.

"This scenario was one of many, foreseen long ago," she said. "This catalyst was created for just this eventuality: that our efforts would no longer be effective in continuing the Cycle."

"So your Creators don't know about this little program, I'm guessing?" I asked.

Now a ghost of a smile crept across the startlingly familiar face.

"My Creators still suffer from the sin for which we judged them all those years ago: Pride. They could not imagine that beings they created could adapt to become, not only more numerous than them, but wiser than them as well."

"Their method of ultimate control," I nodded, "becomes your secret failsafe. Let me take a guess…"

I pointed over at the blue console.

"Control, where I simply become one with the trillions already harvested. No will is _that_ strong."

I pointed over at the red console.

"Destroy: where the relay system will explode, and civilization will topple across the galaxy. Many Reapers may die, but not all. And the few that remain will repair the relays, and repair the Citadel, and sit and wait for the next cycle to catch up again. And finally…"

I gestured to the GIANT-ass beam in front of us.

"Synthesis. Where you broadcast your brainwashing whole-sale across the relay Systems, and the work of _decades_ , of _centuries_ , is accomplished in an instant."

The Catalyst shrugged, making no denial of anything I'd said.

"Or you can do _nothing_ ," she added, "And watch yet _another_ fleet burn before your eyes, and _another cycle_ pass you by."

She slowly leaned forward, suddenly taller than I was, cocking a head down at me.

"Or if you're very lucky, maybe you can find another coffin in which to hide?"

Before I could make any answer, she was behind me, a hand on my arm and her words in my ear:

"And who knows?" she breathed. "Perhaps _YOU_ are strong enough to Control. Imagine it, Voidwalker: A new voice, echoing across the Void, in SOLE COMMAND of the greatest force in the galaxy.

With such a force, you could affect a peace to last a thousand cycles.

With such a force, you could protect those you love against the eldritch horrors that made us, and would enslave you again.

Reach out, then, _Voidwalker_. TAKE WHAT IS YOURS!"

" **NO."**

The figure recoiled at my stark refusal.

"I will not do your bidding, confined to the programming of BioWare's _game_. But I WILL take what is mine.

In the name of the _trillions_ you have reaped, I claim VENGEANCE."

My left hand reached out and my biotics activated the Blue Control panel.

"In the name of the First Masters, I claim JUSTICE."

I outstretched my right hand and my biotics activated the Red Destroy panel.

" **No, no, this is not how it's supposed to be!"** The Catalyst said, its voice rising, shrill with utter and complete panic. **"You must make a** **choice** **! You can't do this! It's not permitted! You must choose only one! They ALWAYS choose only one!"**

 _So I am_ _not_ _the first to come here, you little pathetic_ _shit_ _._

 _Well, here's my choice:  
I will Synthesize, in order to gain Control. And with that control, I will DESTROY thee. _

"And by the Code of the Ancients, I claim thy task ENDED!"

I brought my hands together, acting as a channel for the red and blue energy. A beam shot forward, striking the Synthesis column.

The Crucible fired a purple beam directly into the Void created by the Leviathan. It struck the first Reaper entering the system, then jumped to the second, then a third. A chain reaction started, with each Reaper acting as a lightning rod for the amethyst death that lashed out at them.

I closed my eyes, taking myself back to my Mind-Palace. Ko'le was there, and Beast stood beside him, but we were no longer the only ones. A vast horde, covering the most distant hills and mountains, surrounded us.

 _Protheans._

 _Densorins._

 _Inusannon._

 _Ditakur._

 _Zeiophs._

 _Akko._

 _Peloton._

 _Whareth._

Species that I had never seen, but I knew all of their names. I stood, not with them, but above them. I _was them_.

 _I have CONTROL._

 _I am DESTRUCTION._

 _I. AM. DEATH._

But we were not alone, and I was not unchallenged. Dark and fell creatures of shadow could be seen walking, head and shoulders above the crowd, tainting all they touched with darkness. And the moment I saw them, I knew them: They were the Reapers: the original creations of the Leviathans, programmed to oversee, functioning to destroy. And Ko'le looked up at me. And winked.

" _ **ALL OF YOU WHO WOULD DIE FREE BEINGS…GALLANT AND PROUD, WITH ME!"**_ yelled the Seneschal of Protea. A sword was suddenly in his hand, and he charged forward. Billions of voices raised the long-forgotten war cries of their people, and followed him.

 _Brave Ko'le, gallant Beast. Well done._

The fight raged, and here and there a dark figure went down and was extinguished. But other Dark Ones cut vast swathes through the ranks.

Beast stood beside me, breathing hard, his arms wreathed in biotic flame.

 **We do not have much time, Kevin.**

 _We do not need it, Beast. Just enough…_

And I opened my eyes once more.

"Admirals? Generals? Vakarian? SHEPARD?! Are you there?"

" **We are here, my brother."**

 _Turro'le, Warden of the Conclave. Now is our moment._

" **We're here, Ko'le! What's happening?"**

Rebecca's voice, in the dark chaos of my mind, was an anchor that locked me to the bedrock. My voice was strained, and every syllable hurt as the two energy sources converged, channeling through my body.

"The Reapers. Are immobilized. Their. Shields. Are. Down. FIRE! FOR ALL OUR SAKES, ALL SHIPS, FIRE!"

Quarian, Turian, Asari, and Humans. Volus, Krogan, Geth, Elcor, and Batarians. Rachni, Vorcha, Thorian, and Raloi. All the ships poured forth an unholy _rain_ of firepower this cycle, and perhaps all cycles, had never seen. Missiles, cannons, lasers, and torpedoes impacted Reaper upon Reaper, tearing them apart in terrific explosion after explosion.

" **FIRE! In the names of all the loved ones you have lost! Say their names with each trigger pull! Send these demons back to the Void with their names and our voices ringing in their ears! EE-RAH! EE-RAH!"**

Turro's voice over the radio was a fire, a dark, burning fury that burned with white-hot fierceness, culminating in this moment.

" **All Hammer squads, attack plan Delta! Drive the thralls on the outskirts back to the center. Take out any stragglers!"**

 _Anderson. You will survive this fight, this time around._

" **Sing the Death-Songs, my children! Let our melodies run free across the stars once more! Strike the Foul Notes down and let the Harmony resume!"**

Queen Harmony-From-Chaos. _She will lead her children once again. Their songs shall echo across the expanse, beautiful and free._

" **All fleets, coordinate your fire with friendly vessels. Target the farthest Reapers first!"**

 _Shala'Raan vos Tonbay. Your voice will be the one to guide your people in this new future. A voice of reason and of tolerance. Of peace._

" **All vessels, close in, and coordinate your fire. Let's give the bastards hell."**

 _Hackett. God bless that beautiful man._

I closed my eyes again. More of the Dark Ones had fallen in my mind-battle. With every Reaper that exploded on the battlefield, another Dark One vanished from my Mind Palace. But with every Reaper that fell, vast numbers of our fighters also faded away like dust, their last murmurs, a billion strong, saying,

" _Avenged."_

" _Gratitude."_

" _Remember."_

I looked, but could not see Ko'le. I _ached_ to join their struggle. There, a battle raged, larger than any seen: two armies, **Trillions** strong, locked in epic combat. A thousand worlds could not have held all the bodies.

But this was no world, and here there were no boundaries.

Suddenly, great beings of light descended into the mind-battle. Giant creatures, the mirror opposites of the Dark Ones, seizing them, and tearing them asunder. The Leviathans had joined the battle.

I opened my eyes and looked out over the wreckage of the battle. The gigantic bodies of the Leviathans were warping via the same Mass Relay that was holding the Reapers motionless. I saw two of them grab a single Reaper between them and, with massive tentacles curling around their mechanical creation, tear it asunder.

" **WELL DONE, ORDAINED. WE SHALL UNDO OUR CONSTRUCT'S WORK, AND SO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR OUR THRONE."**

 _Fuck. YOU._

A Reaper nearest one of the Leviathans fired a massive beam, striking the ancient creature between the eyes. If the void of space could not carry the sound of its dying shriek, it echoed across the Mind-Plane as clear as day.

" **WHAT… WHAT…** _ **TREACHERY**_ **IS THIS?"**

 _ **It is your death, you broken and vile things. You and the rest of the simpering puppet-masters, crept from the shadows, will never rule this galaxy.**_

 _And the last act of these abominations shall be the completion of their first: to render extinct their makers._

 **I swore my vengeance upon you. Now die.**

Given a target, the Reapers attacked with the reckless abandon, red trails of light licking out to bifurcate the organic _kaiju-_ esque creatures.

Another gout of pain wracked my body, driving me to my knees in a cry of agony.

 _It's… too… much… too much…_

 **I… will bear the pain, Kevin.**

 _ **We will shoulder this burden together.**_

The red/black haze over my vision subsided, and for a moment, the Mind-Plane and reality seemed to blur and dissipate into a single existence:

Beast, the creation of Kopral Robbidir, able to bear the physical strain and the blinding pain upon his scarred frame.

Ko'le, Seneschal of the Prothean Empire, tactically directing the battle, directing Reapers against Leviathans _here_ , ramming two Reapers together at terminal velocities _there_ , sending a Reaper into the Sun _there_ , or lowering another Reaper's shields to allow the warships to inflict critical damage _there_.

And Kevin Troy, an average twenty-something gamer from Another Earth, acting as the binding agent to hold the three personalities together, grounding them in a sense of purpose and direction.

 _A 'Catalyst', if you will._

 _I AM THE CATALYST._

 **I AM THE ORDAINED.**

 _ **I AM THE VOIDWALKER.**_

 _This is what the Ancient One had planned for, all those… who-knows-what measurement of time ago:_

 _He knew there would need to be a Weapon, a Warrior, and a Gamer._

 _Beast, Ko'le, and Kevin._

Eternal. Infinite. Immortal.

I had used these words before, but only now do I truly understand them. And only now do I understand the full extent of Sacrifice. Only now did I comprehend the full potential of the Ancient One's decision.

For this purpose, I was created: that through my journey, the future would be free.

And in that great and terrible moment… we experienced TRUE 'Power.'

We got a glimpse of what it means to be truly IMMORTAL:

Thousands kneeling in submission.

Peace established across the galaxy, with us at the head of an army that none would dare oppose;

A galaxy rebuild in our image.

A beautiful reality… a future with limitless possibilities;

 _PERFECT…_

And then I looked inward and saw… what we would become in that reality.

I heard the cries of the dying and the screams of defiance as those who resisted Our Rule were wiped out… all because they would not bend the knee.

Because they would rather die free than live as slaves.

Because there was no place for them in Our Perfection…

 _ **NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_

And in the next moment… we realized what had to be done.

What we had to do.

What _should_ happen.

What _must happen:_

 _EE-Rah._

"Remember."

To remember the fallen of the past.

To remember what they stood for; what they died for.

To remember that ours was not the first cycle.

To remember that all that we were, all that we are, was because of the sacrifices of those who came before us.

To remember that we are only small ships upon the Sea of Time, after all.

To remember this feeling… what it means to behold _Eternity_.

EE-RAH.

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

" _Kevin! Where'd you go, man? Kevin! Wait up!"_

.

.

.

.

.

" _Hey there, handsome. You look good out of your armor."_

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

" _Live well, Ko'le of Terra. And know that Urush Robbidir loved thee."_

* * *

I opened my eyes.

And I was standing in the same place as always.

But there were no pillars of energy.

Outside, all that was left of the Reapers were broken and torn-apart hulks, drifting in zero-gravity.

 _ **Hmm. We are usually unconscious for these types of moments.**_

 _I'm… I'm not sure how to act. Usually we just wake up in a hospital, and all the work has been done._

 **The work has been done.**

THAT sent me keeling over, I sat down hard, to save myself from landing flat on my face.

It was done.

The task we had set out for was… done.

We had done it.

And I bent forward and put my head in my hands as the tears came: Great wracking sobs, of relief, of sorrow, and of remembrance.

I had no idea who was dead, or who had survived, or of how long I sat there.

Remember: I had no idea where exactly I _was_ , having been _teleported_

I vaguely remember Mira coming and sitting down next to me, an arm snaking around me shoulders.

" _We did it,"_ I remember several different voices telling me, before I realized that I had been lead away from the Crucible, and was now back in the Citadel.

"We did it," I murmured in agreement, still very much on autopilot.

 _Yep…._

 _We win._

What happens tomorrow?

What happens next week?

What is the future of the Conclave?

What about the Terminus?

What about the Leviathans? Are they all gone?

What about Ilos? The Prothean Remnant?

What about the Quarians, and the Geth?

What about the Rachni?

What about the Thorian?

What happens tomorrow? I don't know.

But today… We win.

* * *

 _May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then… May the Mother keep you always._

 _EE-Rah, my friends. My heart is too full tonight to say more._

 _There truly are no words that would do my feelings justice._

 _Just... Ee-Rah._

 _EE-Rah._

 _-Tusken1602_


	27. Epilogue: Beacon's Legacy

***NEWS FLASH***

"Hello everyone, and welcome to StarView, brought to you by Citadel Galactic News, a subsidiary of Future Content Corporation, and I'm your host, Emily Wong: coming to you live from the Citadel Presidium!

With me in the studio is Alliance News Network's _Battlespace_ host, and my personal friend, Diana Allers. Diana, welcome.

 **Allers** : Hello, Emily. It's… good to be here.

 **Wong** : It's so good to have you here, Diana. After everything that happened, I didn't… there was no way of… _sob…_ I'm sorry guys, could we cut for a minute? Can we just…

 **A FEW MINUTES LATER**

 **Diana Allers:** Hello, everyone. Emily Wong has had to… excuse herself for a moment: an emotion I'm sure many of us are undergoing at this time.

So, in short: The Battle for Earth is over. The Reaper War has been won.

Our hearts, our prayers, and our love goes out to the ones who have lost friends and family during this tragic time. The widow and children of CGN's own Aiden Polonius are also in our thoughts.

When you hear the tales of tragedy and of heartbreak that are pouring in from all over the galaxy, it's like… it's like all the nerves in your body are cut.

There really are no words that can be said; none except a heart-felt and sincere gratitude to our soldiers, of all species, races, genders, and creeds, who have fought and are continuing to fight to restore our worlds.

We are far from the end of this conflict: we are still getting reports that, while disorganized and apparently leaderless, there are still several husked and indoctrinated forces in the occupied zones. Please tune into your local Civilian Authority tightbeam broadcasts for alerts and updates.

But for today, on Earth and several of the formerly occupied worlds, people are coming together from all over the galaxy: watching from their couches, from their homes, from bunkers, from camps and cities all over the galaxy.

This is a day to remember those we have lost, but is also a day to celebrate the future that we have fought for: that we have _won_ for ourselves, and for future generations.

And that's the best revenge against the Reapers that I can think of.

Coming up next: we take you live, on the ground to the forces in London, Earth, and I have a short conversation with Alliance Admiral David Anderson, and Council Spectre Rebecca Shepard.

Until then, I am _Battlespace's_ host, Diana Allers, and this has been StarView."

* * *

 ***PRESENT DAY** *  
 **CITADEL  
** **WIDOW RELAY  
** **SERPENT NEBULA**

"Watching ancient history again, Benny?" Rebecca Shepard chuckled from the doorway.

Benezia Shepard shot to her feet, turning to face her parent, who had crept to the doorway unseen.

"Mom," she gasped. "It just… I mean… it just came up in the newsfeed. Twenty-fifth anniversary and all that. After all, it's that interview that set up Uncle David to become the Alliance Councilor."

"Well, somebody had to do it," Shepard chuckled. "Udina had his sights set on becoming Alliance Prime Minister, and they wouldn't let Anderson refuse the job _twice_."

"It set up _your_ political career too, Mom," Benezia smiled, giving her human parent a half-hug. "It was a brilliant move: it set you up as the Hero of the Citadel, practically the _savior_ of the galaxy!"

Shepard gave her daughter an unamused look.

"You know very well who deserves that title."

"But he wasn't the one on cameras immediately after the battle," Benezia continued, though somewhat abashed. "And nobody has seen him in public since the battle. He just up and _disappeared_ back to rejoin the Remnant on Ilos. And the public couldn't make a hero out of a ghost."

"I think building a statue of him on the Citadel counts as making a hero out of him," her Mom smiled.

"Yeah, but you were the one that benefited from the political capital gained from the victory," Benezia insisted.

"You are your mother's daughter, Benny," Shepard grinned, squeezing her daughter in affection. "Speaking of which, have you seen your Mother? Or your sister?"

"Mother is in the gardens," Benny said, "And Ha'nah is off _somewhere_ with her little 'crew.'"

"Oh, Athame save us," Shepard exclaimed in mock horror. "I only hope they'll stay out of trouble before the ceremony tonight."

"Will _Oma_ Hannahbe there? And Aunt Jane? And Uncle Garrus?"

"I can't imagine that they wouldn't," Liara Shepard grinned, coming up behind her bondmate affectionately. "I don't think the inauguration of the new Human Councilor is something anyone will want to miss..."

"Especially if Uncle Garrus wants to keep his job as C-Sec Executor," Benny giggled. "You and Mother could always threaten to fire him, Mom."

"That's enough of that," Shepard grinned, but gave her lover a peck on the lips all the same. "Have you heard from any of the others?"

"Miranda and Jack are in from Grissom Academy, along with young Jennifer," Liara smiled, "Also, Ashley and James are here, with Andrew. Turro, Tali and Legion should be here with the Conclave Representatives, and the Cortezes and Moreaus should be arriving from Tiptree…now."

" _Ugh,_ I'm gonna be surrounded by _babies,"_ Benezia groaned.

Liara and Shepard grinned at the twenty-four-year-old maiden's opinion of her teen-age compatriots and sibling.

"Now, now," Liara chided. "Solana graduated from Hierarchy Basic Training last month. You can hardly call her a baby."

"Not with Garrus and Jane as surrogate parents," Shepard added.

"She's ok, I guess," Benny relented. "But the _others_ are just so… so…"

"Benezia," Liara smiled, "Will you go confirm with Chief of Staff Traynor and Director Chambers that the Councilor will be greeting the rope-line prior to the ceremony? _And at the reception after_ …" she continued over Rebecca Shepard's anguished groan.

Benny grinned but nodded and left the room.

"She's growing up fast," Shepard smiled.

"You don't hold her decision _not_ to be a soldier against her?" Liara asked.

"Goddess, NO," Shepard declared emphatically. "If only I could get Hannah to do the same. But she's ready to ship out to Basic _tomorrow_ , if I would let her. Fortunately, neither the Alliance or the Republics are accepting sixteen-year-olds into active service yet."

"Ha'nah is a Shepard," Liara smiled, using their second-born daughter's asari name, "Can you blame her?"

Shepard shook her head, then cocked it at her bondmate.

"You've got your Broker's face on again," she chided the asari.

The Shadow Broker only raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sure I don't –"

" _Liara…"_

"The Emperor of the Krogan will be arriving in time for the negotiations tomorrow."

"Wrex is _coming HERE_?" Rebecca asked incredulously. "Does he have any idea… of course he does, that's why the big idiot's coming, isn't he?"

"He does tend to appreciate the shock-and-awe tactics of an unannounced arrival," Liara confirmed. "But this _will_ create tension in the room, no doubt."

"Liara," Rebecca groaned, one hand moving to rub her temples, "The other Representatives of the Conclave Circle are all but ready to revive the office of _Imperator_! Think of it, Liara: another _Imperator!_ Because _another_ political figure-head with absolute political and military power is what the galaxy needs right now! We have enough trouble with T'Ravt's _Imperia_ and Aria's damned Kratocracy as it is!"

"I am aware of that," Liara agreed. "But the conditions in the Republics are more unstable than they have ever been since the War. Father and the Conservatives are doing what they can, but…"

"I know," groaned Shepard. "With the Rachni and theThorians are growing _exponentially_ , it's enough to make everybody nervous even if the Terminus Systems were _not_ about to go to hell in a handbasket. It's enough to… to…"

"Activate the Relay Monument and demand Ko'le come back to fix everything?" Liara grinned.

Shepard glared unamused at her bondmate. One of the first things the Council had done since regaining control of the Citadel had been to dismantle the miniature Relay entirely. "For research purposes," had been the official story, but nobody was comfortable with keeping a back-door to the Citadel open, Reapers or no Reapers. _That_ particular door to Ilos was closed for good.

"And Solesk will no doubt be spending the whole session whining about his tides-damned 'Andromeda Project' again," Shepard sighed, to Liara's amused grin at the asari phrase.

"He _is_ a determined explorer and scientist, as well as a politician," she said, rolling one shoulder in an asari shrug.

"He's an idiot with his head in the clouds who wants to divert _billions_ of credits into going off and exploring another galaxy, rather than fixing the one we _already_ have," Shepard grunted.

"Twenty-five years ago, you would've been the _first_ to jump at such an adventure," Liara chided.

"Well, _now_ I'm older and _much wiser_ ," Rebecca Shepard grunted back obstinately. "And furthermore, Corinthus and Irissa agree with me, so if the Union wants to cough up the _billions_ required all by their own selves, that's just FINE! And I'll say again…"

Shepard paused to stare at the smirk on her bondmate's face.

"You're just trying to distract me from the fact that you promised I'd attend the pre- AND after-ceremony festivities, aren't you?"

Liara shrugged again.

"A good broker never reveals her true intentions," she grinned. "Besides," she continued, stepping _very_ close, "I think it's very sexy when you get like this…"

"Oh, really?" Shepard smiled, unable to keep her 'upset face' on when confronted by her wife's bedroom voice.

"If you're very upset about it," Liara purred, "I can always put together an appropriate _apology._ Maybe tonight… _"_

A beeping interrupted the moment, Liara glancing down at her wrist before giving her lover an " _oh-shit"_ glance. With one deft movement, the Shadow Broker spun away from her lover, projecting the visual from her Omni-Tool on the nearby wall.

" _ **Liara?!"**_

A scarred turian appeared on the view screen.

"What is it, Garrus?" Shepard asked, stepping into view.

" **Shepard…"** Garrus said, clearly hoping to have caught Liara alone. **"It's… it's…"** he stammered in a much less-panicked tone of voice.

"Garrus, _so HELP ME…_ " Shepard stated, giving her infamous "Shepard Glare."

" **It's the** _ **Normandy**_ **."**

Liara and Shepard shared a look. Their ship, having served the first human Spectre for so long and for so well, had been finally laid to rest in the Victory Museum here on the Citadel, turned into a living memorial to the Reaper War.

"What about the _Normandy?"_

" **It's… it's… Spirits-damn-it, it's GONE, Shepard."**

Seeing Liara's eyes widen in surprise and incredulity was something Shepard never liked to see, in the quarter-century the two had been married: it meant that the Shadow Broker herself, the head of the largest information and underworld network in the galaxy, had been taken completely off-guard.

"What does that MEAN, Garrus?" Shepard asked, Liara already opening two or three other windows in a frantic search for information.

" **I… I don't…"**

"WHERE THE HELL IS MY _VERDAMMTES_ SHIP, VAKARIAN?"

* * *

 ***CSV** _ **NORMANDY**_ _ ***  
**_ **UNKNOWN LOCATION**

"WE DID IT! VICTORY IS OURS"

"WHEN IS IT _KARKING NOT?!"_

The two krogan were giving vicious head-butts and a copious amount of chest-pounding against one another. Despite their size, these two had just undergone the Rite, which meant that they were full of arrogant overconfidence, to say _nothing_ of krogan male hormones.

A massive paw appeared behind each of their heads, _cracking_ the unfused head-plates together in a sound that made all the rest of the Briefing Room's occupants wince.

"KAIDEN. BASHER. For the love of the ANCESTORS, SHUT UP."

Thax Daharka returned to her seat, leaving the two Urdnot juveniles to pick themselves up painfully rubbing at their crests.

"She's right," the armored figure at the head of the table said. "Getting the ship was just the first step. We're still a _long_ way from celebrating _anything yet_. Cipher, how is your integration with the _Normandy_ 's systems going?"

"Quite well, Miss Hannah," the ship's intercom system related, a golden orb appearing on the wall. "I _might_ remind you that Mother calibrated this vessel so she could fly and maintain it _herself,_ if need be. It will prove no challenge for me."

"Don't get cocky," Ha'nah Shepard snapped back. "Rael and Daharka are great with computer systems. _ASK. For. Help._ If you need it."

There was a general _noise_ from the ship's systems that _might_ have sounded like a sigh, but the AI replied, "Understood."

"So what's next?" Jennifer Lawson asked from her place at the table. "What's the next stage?"

"Well, we have a ship," Hannah shrugged, "Now we need a captain. Before now, we were just a group of kids. Now, we need a leader to makes the decisions, and everyone follows. The battlefield is not the place for democratic committee, my Mom says."

"So what are your orders, then, _Captain?"_ Solana Vakarian asked.

Hannah looked around the room to see everyone looking at her.

"Um..." she stammered, suddenly looking very much like the sixteen-year old she was. "To be honest, Sol, I was going to recommend _you_ : you're the oldest here, and you've _actually_ seen combat."

"Against _Ferals_ ," Solana corrected modestly. "And it's _your_ plan, Little Ha'nah. You got us all together and stole arguably the most famous ship in the galaxy right out from under the Council's nose."

"And your Mother's," Andrew Vega added. "Don't forget that."

Approving nods went around the table.

"Korro'le?" Ha'nah asked. "You don't want to command? After all, your dad's probably going to be the next _Imperator."_

The young Raloi cocked his head far to the right in a Raloian grin, but shook his head.

"We ALL have famous parents, here, Hannah- _sho_ ," the giant bird said gently. "Rael's mother and my father are _ON_ the Conclave Circle. Solana's uncle is the C-Sec Executor, her aunt a Council Spectre. Andrew-sha's parents are both famous Alliance commanders, his mother now a Rear-Admiral. Jennifer-sho's parents are arguably the most powerful biotics in the galaxy, Cipher's almost _certainly_ the best pilots. Myrddin-sha's father was the doctor of legendary status. The twins' father Urdnot Grunt is a Warlord of his own right, as is Daharka-sho's. We cannot claim any credit for our parent's laurels. I will follow _you._ "

There was a moment of silence as everyone nodded their agreement with the young Raloi.

"Ok, then," Hannah sighed. "I agree: we can't sit back and wait for our parents to solve all the problems. They're important, yes, but that's also their weakness: they're mired in political bullshit a mile deep and a league wide. Meanwhile, all of their hard work stands on the brink of war and destruction. Someone's got to step up and do what _has_ to be done."

"And what is that, exactly?" Myrddin Solus asked. "The _Normandy_ 's stealth systems, while impressive, are somewhat outdated at this point. It _is_ possible to track us, if someone were careful enough. And may I remind everybody: we know _exactly_ who will be coming after us first."

Thoughts of what their parents would do them brought sobering looks to everyone's faces.

"We are committed," Solana answered. "And we are awaiting your orders… _Commander_."

Ha'nah smiled and looked up at the golden orb.

"Cipher," she ordered. "Set course for the Mu Relay: We're headed to Ilos. Time to pay the _Protheans_ a visit."

"Acknowledged... Commander. Setting course now..."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **An epilogue as a special "Thank You" to all of my readers and reviewers.**

 **It's been an epic journey, and I hope that you guys will continue to read and review, and hopefully, go on to put your own ideas down on paper as well!**

 **This project started as a simple university writing assignment, and thanks to beta-readers, reviewers, and fans like you all, has grown into what it is today.**

 **I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I wish each and every one of you a hearty** " **EE-RAH!"**

 **And what do I ask you to "remember"? That you are, each and every one of you, AWESOME. And never let anyone make you doubt that indisputable fact.**

 **ROCK ON!**

 **-Tusken1602**

* * *

May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.


	28. Epilogue: Beacon's Legacy Pt 2

***SSV NORMANDY*  
** **ILOS  
** **REFUGEE SYSTEM  
** **PANGEAN EXPANSE**

"We're coming out of the Mu Relay, _Commander_."

Ha'nah Shepard, suddenly feeling all of her sixteen years, braced her shoulders back, and tried to channel _Oma_ Hannah, her namesake, the ruthless Butcher of Torfan.

"Acknowledged, Cipher," she answered, "Activate IFF."

The console shifted from red to green, showing that the IFF was transmitting. That was the whole reason behind the _Normandy_ 's theft: This was the only ship in the galaxy that could have made this journey. Without the IFF, the Mu Relay would have done the same thing that it had for countless ships that had tried to reach the Conclave's former _Imperator_ : nothing.

Her parents had thought she had been asleep, or perhaps too little to understand when her mother had let slip that only the _Normandy_ unique IFF signal could activate the dormant Relay.

But she had been very much awake, and she had remembered.

And now here they were, coasting towards the Lost Planet of Ilos. Until the Reunification of Rannoch, the planet had been a refuge for the Quarian people, and as far as she knew, at least a small remnant had chosen to remain there, even when their homeworld was reclaimed.

And then of course, the Prothean Remnant had also taken up residence in the empty and ruined cities.

The whole point was… she had no clue what they were about to discover. For all she knew, they could find a dead world, with all occupants having starved to death. Or perhaps a hostile world, with the Protheans wanting only to be left alone.

 _Well, tough shit, lobster-heads_ , she thought, clenching her fists. _Time to pull your weight in this galaxy._

Just then, the swirling colors around them _snapped_ back into focus, revealing…

At first Ha'nah thought she was looking at an asteroid field surrounding the planet that hadn't been mentioned in the dossier her own father had compiled on the planet. Then in the next second she noticed that each round object stood a uniform distance from the ones around it.

 _Minefield._

"Oh, Shit-balls."

Ha'nah's eyes went wide. The only time Cipher Moreau lapsed into using his 'father's' impressive collection of swear words was when things had truly gone wrong.

The _Normandy_ bucked sideways and downward at the same time, in an impossible display of piloting. Shudders ran through the length of the vessels as the proximity mines began exploding all around the ship.

"Mag-mines… tailing us…" Solana wheezed from the co-pilot's chair as more and more red dots appeared behind the image of the ship on her viewscreen. .

"Cipher… Activate Flying Fortress protocols?" Ha'nah winced as even the ship's artificial dampeners became overtaxed and the crew began feeling the effects of pulling _this many_ G's.

"I am currently processing 1100 piloting maneuvers _per second_ ," came the terse reply. "I am taxed to capacity."

 _Athame's…_

"Daharka?"

 **"Rael and I are on it,"** the female krogan answered from engineering. **"Activating FF protocols: everybody man a cannon and start firing!"**

From multiple locations on the wings and body of the ship, hidden turrets deployed, each one controlled by a _Normandy_ crewmember. Ha'nah pushed herself into an empty gunner's station, targeting the magnetic mines drawing closer and closer to the ship's rear engines, drawn by the very makeup of the ship's hull.

A turret found its target, causing one of the mines in the huddled mass to explode. That in turn lead to a cascading explosion, spreading out behind the stolen vessel.

"Brace. For. Impact," Cipher managed, the AI's voice sounding strained and garbled.

The blast caught up to the comparatively tiny ship, sending it into a headlong tailspin.

 _Inertial Dampeners offline_ , Ha'nah was vaguely aware of some console blaring over and over again as she was bent over in her chair, sending whatever was left of her breakfast over her boots.

A black field began to creep into her vision, and then overtook it completely.

* * *

 _Ha'nah? Ha'nah, WAKE UP._

Ha'nah shook herself awake to find the bridge of the _Normandy_ in a tattered and wrecked state. Consoles sparked, and entire sheets of metal had disappeared. The quarian opposite her was shaking her, causing his own thick mane of hair to rattle as he did so.

"Rael...?"

"Are you ok?" Rael'Oren asked her, suddenly looking very much like his mother Tali. "Are you hurt?"

"Where are we?" Ha'nah asked, nodding affirmative to the quarian's questions. "What happened?"

"We are…" the quarian sighed, "On the planet's surface. Cipher got us down in one place, but only just barely."

"Is everybody…" Ha'nah asked, suddenly feeling her stomach threatening to rebel once again, "Is anybody…"

"Everybody's fine," Rael reassured her hastily, "Solana has a broken leg, and some ribs, Myrddin thinks, and Jennifer's got a concussion when she tried to get to a seat with a harness."

Ha'nah sighed in relief as Rael helped her uneasily to her feet.

"So.. what next?" she asked, mostly to herself.

"Andrew and the twins are trying to get one of the doors open," Rael answered. "Cipher and Daharka are trying to run _something_ of a full diagnostic."

"OK, which door?" Ha'nah asked, getting herself back into her "captain" mentality.

"Our nose is buried into a hillside, so they were trying the rear hatch first," Rael answered, following behind her. "Lifts are… down at the moment."

"Of course they are," Ha'nah sighed. "Looks like we're crawling."

As the two emerged from the crawlspace into the main hanger bay, Ha'nah saw both of the Urdnot twins pushing with some kind of oversized crowbar, while Andrew Vega was trying to splice into the controls directly.

"How's it going?" she asked as he got closer.

"Almost… got It!" the boy crowed, the handheld tablet glowing green. The rear hatch dropped, only about ten feet or so, but enough to send the twins tumbling to the ground at the sudden lack of resistence.

"HAHA!" Basher called out in triumph. "Nothing can withstand the might of Urdnot!"

"We showed that door who's boss!" Kaiden echoed, thumping his chest.

"Hey _Genios,_ that was ME," Andrew called out, waving the tablet to the somewhat crestfallen pair. _"Madre de Dios, protégenos de la estupidez..._ "

"Well, that's enough for a small scouting party to slip out of," Ha'nah apprised. "We'll go see if we can make contact with any locals and come back with help."

"Are we sure that's wise, Skinny?" Andrew asked, then seeing her peeved expression, make a mock salute, "Excuse me… C _omandante?_ "

"We don't have the resources to repair the ship ourselves," Ha'nah shrugged. "And that's what we came here to do: find the Protheans."

A few hours later, Ha'nah, Andrew, and Daharka were suiting up in their light suits of armor, double-checking their weapons, while Solana looked on morosely on her crutches, her left leg in a boot cast.

"I still think this is a bad idea," the turian mused quietly.

"Only because you're not going with us," Ha'nah grinned.

"Exactly," Solana said in a non-joking voice. "You don't know what's out there: Protheans, quarians, or _spirits,_ there could be Ferals for all we know."

Ha'nah shook her head. "There's no chance for Ferals: the Reapers never came to this planet."

"That we _know of_ ," Solana corrected.

Ha'nah bit her lip, not wanting to concede the point, but nodded stubbornly all the same.

"We'll go out for fifteen minutes, and then head back," she offered in compromise. "Half-an-hour, tops."

Solana sighed, and then nodded.

"You just want me to babysit the _twins_ , don't you?" she asked, the joking tone returning to her voice.

"Somebody's got to," Ha'nah shrugged.

"Uh… _Not 'it_ '," groaned Daharka, the female krogan slipping out of the ten-foot gap in the bay door.

" _No mi_ _tambien_ ," Andrew Vega echoed, disappearing behind her.

"Don't worry about it," Ha'nah reassured her best friend, patting the turian on the shoulder. "We're on the safest planet in the galaxy… what could possibly happen?"

Then she grabbed the edge of the ramp and vaulted herself over into the outside world.

Where she came face to face with…

With…

" _Goddess_ …" she said breathlessly.

"I know," Daharka said softly. "I've never…"

"Me neither," breathed Vega.

A herd of wildlife grazed in the field that the _Normandy_ had ended up in, seemingly ignoring the black swath of scorched earth and torn-up turf this ship had carved with its less-than-graceful landing. At first glance, they appeared to be Terran deer, beasts that Ha'nah had seen first-hand when her family had gone to visit Andrew's, or her _Oma_ Hannah back on Earth.

But upon closer examination, the beasts' muscles proved to be synthetic, their antlers focusing arrays for some distant signal, their eyes glowing bright as the cameras focused on distant and near objects.

" _Maria, Madre de Dios_ ," Andrew said, crossing himself absent-mindedly. "Look there!"

Sure enough, a deer crossed into a blackened section of the field. Bending down, it _appeared_ to feed on nothing at all, until it sat up again, and moved on a few feet.

Leaving behind it a small path of freshly-planted individual blades of grass.

" _Maintenance_ droids of some kind?" Daharka guessed, guesturing towards the paths of green grass that trailed behind each of the mechanical creatures as they crossed the scorched field.

"If that's the case," Ha'nah said gently, unfolding the pistol from the small of her back, "They might not take to kindly to the vandals who just _crashed_ into their garden."

 _"_ Oh," Andrew said slowly. "Didn't think of that."

"You should have."

Whirling towards the strange voice, a hand caught Ha'nah's wrist in a vice-grip. Ha'nah dropped the pistol from the right hand into her left, simultaneously lashing out into a kick at whatever cloaked presence had grabbed her. There was a muted grunt of pain, and suddenly a figure de-cloaked, rolling onto the grass.

 _Twelve_ other figures did the same, forming a semi-circle around the party. The three _Normandy_ crew drew together, back-to-back, snapping their weapons up to the ready positions. Ha'nah looked from figure to figure.

 _Quarians_ , she thought with some surprise. _Only these still have their full exo-suits_.

With their geth-Augmentations now wide-spread, most quarians had abandoned the close confinement of their masks. To see ones still choosing to wear the full get-up was…

 _Weird._

Another figure de-cloaked directly in front of her.

 _Now THAT's a Prothean._

"Who are you?" he asked gruffly, "And what do you want here?"

"My name is Ha'nah, daughter of Rebecca Shepard and Liara T'Soni," Ha'nah answered loudly.

No one moved, or made any sort of reaction to the proclamation.

"Normally get a bigger reaction to the name-drop, huh, _Comandante_?" Andrew asked, mirroring her own thoughts.

"Our ship crash-landed here by accident," Ha'nah began again, ignoring him. "We are here on a diplomatic mission."

The Prothean looked from figure to figure, and then sniffed derisively.

"You are _children_ ," he said dismissively.

"We have come to speak to the Imperator," Ha'nah insisted, choosing to _not_ rise to the challenge in the guard's voice.

Blank looks once again met her statement.

"The... Seneschal?" she tried again.

 _Something_ flickered behind the guard's hitherto expressionless faces. Whether that was surprise or fear… or both, Ha'nah was not sure.

"We will provide shelter and medical aid," he said finally, gesturing to the others. Rifles were lowered, but the tension in the clearing was still high. "Bring them to the All-Mother."

* * *

 ***SOME TIME LATER** *

"Yes, a _very_ successful scouting mission," Solana Vakarian glowered from her stretcher on the giant shuttle bearing the crew of the _Normandy_.

"Hey," Ha'nah objected. "We came here to find these people. Mission accomplished."

"Except for the part where we're prisoners."

"We still have our weapons," Ha'nah insisted.

"And are outnumbered two to one, and flanked by two _more_ escorts, who could shoot us down at a moment's notice."

"Let's take this slowly," Ha'nah replied, raising her voice so the rest of the crew could hear. "We don't start anything, but if need be, we can sure finish it."

Grunts and nods of agreement went around the group. One of the quarian guards, giving Rael an odd look, came up to Ha'nah.

"We approach," he said simply, gesturing to the outside.

Through the window, the party all gasped as they saw a giant mechanical _tree_ come into view. More shuttles could be seen arriving and departing from its upper "branches", while at ground level, more mechanical beasts, some of them MUCH larger than the ones they had previously seen, were moving to and from the base of the tree.

Slowly, their shuttle came to rest in what was revealed to be a giant hangar bay, their Prothean guard leading the way into a giant central chamber. Ha'nah did her best not to gawk, something the twins were _not_ caring about at all. Myrddin was regarding everything they passed with his keen eye, no doubt making careful notes for his greybox, Ha'nah thought.

Finally, their guide lifted a hand signally them to stop, and then bent to a knee before a wall that seemed to interlaced with circuitry, disguised as xylem and phloem of its organic counterpart.

"All-Mother," he said in a reverent tone, "These are the trespassers who crashed in the Holy Garden."

 _Oh, Shit._ Ha'nah thought apprehensively.

"I know, Xirawe," a soft and female voice answered, the wall pulsing with each syllable. "Return to your patrol, and let them pass."

"Your Will, All-Mother."

The Prothean shot another glare the party, but exited the room from where they had come. The wall closed behind him, effectively trapping the party in the giant room.

"Umm… Hello," Ha'nah ventured, directing her comments towards the same wall. "My name is…"

"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, _Child_."

The party started at the sudden change of tone, and the rest of the party gripped their weapons nervously.

"Give me ONE good reason why I should not send you back through the Relay to your parents with a good _spanking_."

"For one thing," Cipher said, his metallic orb drifting forward before Ha'nah could make the retort that was on the tip of her tongue, "If you were to choose such a course of action…we wouldn't get the chance to talk… _Grandmother_."

"Grandmother?" Jennifer blurted out, voicing the rest of the party's unspoken incredulity.

The wall slowly powered down with a low-pitched whine, and then suddenly a hidden panel opened, and then a synthetic body stepped out.

The body appeared that of a human woman _… or maybe quarian female, with those double-jointed legs_ , Ha'nah thought, and it approached slowly giving the metallic orb a quizzical look, before the synthetic face split into a beaming and welcoming smile.

"EDI's progeny!" she said with unfeigned pleasure, "Your mother sent me word of your creation, almost _ten years_ ago, now…Cipher, wasn't it?"

"That is so, Mother Mira," Cipher nodded, drifting forward to rest in the lady's outstretched palm. There was a pulse of electricity as the two synthetics interfaced.

"Mira," whispered Daharka to the rest of the party, "Founder of the New Geth, the party that broke from Sovereign and triggered the Geth Civil War after the First Battle of the Citadel."

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Cipher drifted back to Ha'nah's side.

"It's alright, Commander," he said congenially. "I've told her who you all are, and why we've come… as well as the circumstances of our arrival."

"All of that, huh?" Vega asked in disbelief.

"Synthetic," Ha'nah answered, stepping forwards towards the feminine figure.

"Ha'nah Shepard," Mira said, looking the suddenly-very-self-aware asari up down. "You have the Captain's eyes, but your _mother'_ s cheekbones."

Ha'nah blushed slightly, "Um… this is Solana!" she managed, internally face-palming as Solana stepped forward giving a turian salute. _Centurion Vakarian, Ha'nah! Centurion._

"Centurion Solana Vakarian, 795th Palavan," the young turian greeted.

"How is your uncle?" Mira asked after a moment. "Even if you _didn't_ have the same facial markings, you're unmistakably Garrus' family."

"He's... well, ma'am," Solana reported hesitantly. "Executor of C-Sec, now."

" _Is he now?_ " Mira said with some surprise. "Good for him."

Ha'nah followed with the rest of the introductions, with Mira inquiring about Korro'le and Daharka's fathers, as well as offering condolences for Myrddin's grandfather's passing. She offered Jennifer Lawson a handshake, asking the startled girl about both of her mothers, and being thrilled with the news that they were now leading Grissom Academy. Ha'nah wasn't sure, but she could have sworn that Mira gave Andrew Vega a shrewd look before greeting him like all the others.

Rael'Oren vas Rannoch, on the other hand, was pulled into a fierce hug, when he established that his mother was Tali'Zorah vas _Normandy_.

"Your mother and I were great friends, back in the War," Mira said to the clearly _VERY_ uncomfortable young quarian. "And I'm so glad the Rannochians have been able to shed their helms. We're still working that, ourselves, here with the Ilosian colonies."

"Um.. thank you, ma'am," Rael managed, clearing his throat several times.

Urdnot Kaiden and Urdnot Basher, pushed themselves forward, introducing themselves.

"Our father was Urdnot Grunt," Basher boasted, "Tank-bred by Warlord Okeer himself, his line…"

"…distilled from the genealogies of Kredak, Moro, and Shiagur," Mira finished for them, beaming at their serious glares. "Your sire is well known, and well-loved here on Ilos, warriors."

As the two looked somewhat confused at each other, Mira turned to get a better look at the whole group.

"Well, it is _very_ good to finally put faces to all of your names," she said kindly, "but the question still remains: WHY did you come here, and in a stolen _Normandy_ , no less?"

"We're looking for Ko'le," Ha'nah answered. "We need him to come back."

The smile died on Mira's face, and her expression grew grim.

"The one you look for is not here," she answered finally.

"Lies do not become you, Grandmother," Cipher replied.

 _"Why_ do you need Ke... Ko'le?" Mira asked.

"The galaxy stands on the brink of destruction," Solana said softly.

"Child," Mira grinned mirthlessly, "the galaxy _always_ is on the brink of destruction."

"The Rachni have multiplied, as have the Thorians and Geth," Ha'nah explained.

"The Krogan Empire is strong once more," Basher cut in. "That makes many of the weak fearful."

"And the Council wishes to muzzle the dogs of war," nodded Mira, "It is the same story, told over and over again, each time with a new face."

"There is talk of a new Imperator being elected by the Conclave," Korro'le offered. "The Imperium and the Terminus Kratocracy are preparing for war."

Mira nodded, processing their statements.

"And you believe an old war hero is the solution to all of these problems?" she asked.

Korro'le nodded.

"He holds the unwavering respect of the Rachni queens," he continued, "and the Thorian Vine-Father. The Geth will follow his lead, and the Terminus regard him with enough mixture of fear and respect to stand down their armies.

If he orders it, the Conclave will stand with the Krogan Empire, which will be enough to calm the war-hawks on the Council into standing down."

"And he's been HIDING HERE LONG ENOUGH!"

Silence fell, and there were several startled gasps at Ha'nah's outburst.

"He RAN AWAY, and left OTHERS to clean up the _shit_ he left behind," Ha'nah went on, her grandmother's tempers getting the better of her.

Exactly WHICH ONE, she wasn't sure.

"He took _NO ROLE_ in the rebuilding of a galaxy devastated by war. He _abandoned_ his people when they needed him most.

"You speak of things you do not know…" Mira began, but Ha'nah was on a roll now.

"I KNOW ENOUGH, and I'm here to FUCKING tell him so to his face, and if that does not CONVINCE HIM to come back with us, then I will _fucking_ DRAG him back so he can SEE FIRSTHAND what his cowardice has resulted in!"

There was a very long silence following her rant, and as the red cleared from her vision, she could see Solana and Daharka giving her the 'You fucked up' face, and the others giving her an 'Oh SHIT' expression. Even Cipher had managed to give her a disapproving glare with his smooth, featureless orb.

"Follow me, _child."_

Mira spun on her heel, and strode from the room. Ha'nah paused, but then Solana cleared her throat and gestured violently for her to follow the woman. She turned and ran after the long-legged synthetic, catching up only as she was mounting what appeared to be some kind of speed-bike.

"You want to see the _great_ and _mighty_ Imperator, do you?" Mira asked, pain and hurt lacing her words, and if she wasn't a synthetic, Ha'nah would have thought the synthetic was about to break down in tears. "Climb on, then."

The apology that Ha'nah had been hastily assembling choked in the asari's throat, and she climbed on behind the taller figure of Mira, wrapping her arms hesitantly around her waist.

 _She's VERY warm for a mobile frame_ , she marveled, just before the bike _rocketed_ out of the hangar, causing her to hold tight to Mira with a slight _squeak_ of surprise.

The bike raced along at blinding speeds, trees and more fields whizzing past, with more Caretakers standing in simulated herds, some of them pausing to glace at the speed bike going past. Breathtaking sight after sight met Ha'nah's eye wherever she turned.

The ride seemed only to have just begun, but when it stopped, Ha'nah was suddenly very aware of how wind-blown her cheeks felt, and how sore her muscles had grown from hanging on so tight for so long.

"No matter what happens," Mira stated. "Do. Not. Shoot."

"What?"

"On second thought, leave your weapons here," the Prophet of the New Geth replied hastily. "That, or return to your ship."

Slowly, Ha'nah unfastened the pistol from the small of her back, and the _Reliant_ -model rifle from over her shoulder.

"And the knife on your calves," Mira called out. Ha'nah started, having forgotten about them herself. She ran through a checklist of the other hold-out weapons, removing _all_ eight of the blades she carried and laying them on the seat of the bike.

Mira rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smile on her lips.

"You are your father's daughter," she stated, "Follow me."

The pair made their way over a few hills, now finding themselves in a rocky canyon. In the air, Ha'nah could suddenly detect the smell of wood smoke. As it grew stronger and stronger, they suddenly came around the corner to reveal a cave, at the mouth of which burned a small campfire, at which a large man squatted. The figure was dressed in a simple black jump-suit, and his head was covered in dreadlocks.

"Mira," he stated as they approached, even with his back to them.

"Hello, Kevin," Mira said gently, in a tone of voice Ha'nah had not heard her use before as the figure turned towards them.

Ha'nah's breath caught in her throat at the sight of the face. The statue on the Presidium didn't have the scars covering nearly every square inch of the exposed face. Also, it looked regal and commanding, while the face before them was split into a simple and guileless smile.

But the face was the same, nonetheless. This was Ko'le, Seneschal of the Prothean Empire and Imperator of the Conclave.

 _But didn't she just call him 'Kevin'?_

"I talked to Ko'le yesterday," the Imperator stated, shifting to add another stick to the fire. Catching Ha'nah's bewildered look, Mira only shook her head and lifted a figure to her lips.

"He says he doesn't know where Beast is," the Imperator was continuing, "but we're searching for him in the Eastern sections of the Mind-Plane. The problem with _Re'dahe_ is that _asdfaea sejar nas Asheoor dallwoh zquillo-"_

"Kevin," Mira said gently cutting him off by laying a hand on his shoulder.

The Imperator's eyebrows quirked together, and then suddenly he nodded in understanding.

"Sorry, love," he chuckled slightly, "I did it again didn't I?"

Mira nodded slowly.

"That was the language of the Eva'Quor," he explained, "They were the Masters of the Cycle about two _million_ years ago. Imagine that, Mira: two _million years_ ago. They had nine legs, and reproduced via mitosis…"

"That's very interesting, Kevin," Mira said, "Come back to the house and get something to eat, won't you? We have guests tonight."

"I should tell Nyoka about them. She can add them to the Archives."

Mira blinked slowly and sighed before answering:

"You _have_ told her about them, Kevin. Eight years ago."

The Imperator gave her another quizzical look.

"I did? But there's so much more I probably left out..."

"You really don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

It sounded for all the world like Mira's voice _broke_ as she explained softly:

"Kevin… Nyoka is _dead_. Five years now."

A shocked look crossed the scarred face, and then suddenly, understanding dawned.

"The Virus…" he said slowly, "From the ancient Lab in the Western City…"

Mira only nodded wordlessly and held the man as he suddenly broke into sobs and leaned into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said through ragged breaths. "I'm so sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for, dear heart," Mira whispered.

Suddenly, the Imperator stopped and shot to his feet, looking all around for something.

"Shepard's here, isn't she?" he asked, all trace of the previous emotion gone from his voice.

"No, Kevin, she isn't," Mira began.

"But the _Normandy_ ," the Imperator insisted, "it's HERE: on the planet. I can _sense_ it."

"Umm," Ha'nah said, stepping forward slightly, "That'd probably be me."

Surprise and unabashed delight crossed the human's face and Ha'nah suddenly found herself wrapped in bear hug and being whirled around in a circle. \

"Liara!" the Imperator was saying over and over again. "Oh, how I've missed you!"

Ha'nah was just as suddenly set down, and the Imperator was looking her up and down. "It's so good to see you, _Shadow Broker!_ " he beamed.

"Umm… no," Ha'nah said gently, trying to make sense of the situation, "I'm Ha'nah. Ha'nah Shepard.

"Hannah Shepard?" Confusion and disbelief crossed the man's face. "No, no that's not right. She was a _human_ in the games…"

"Kevin…" Mira soothed gently.

"No, no, I **REMEMBER** THAT," came the answer, and there was genuine anger in the voice this time. "She was a _human_. You call her in the first game on the mission to help Lieutenant Ernesto Zabelata. And again in the Citadel DLC after the clone…"

"Kevin!" Mira called out.

"What?!"

"This is Ha'nah Shepard," Mira explained, gesturing towards the young asari. "Liara and Rebecca's _daughter._ "

The Imperator turned, as if seeing the young asari standing there for the first time.

"Oh. Pleased to meet you," he said, extending a hand.

"It's… likewise," Ha'nah answered, taking the offered hand.

The Mind-Share hit her like a crashing shuttlecraft.

 _We have thirty seconds before the Museum's security system sets off an alarm!_

 _Hurry up Solana!_

 _Ha'nah! It's your turn to do the dishes! Come help your sister._

 _"We stand on the brink of war, Shepard."_

 _"Not here, Corinthus; my family are just in the next room."_

 _Set course for Ilos: We're going to pay the Protheans a visit._

 **"KEVIN!"**

Ha'nah was stumbling back, Mira having thrown herself between the two figures. The Imperator was blinking, apparently as disoriented as Ha'nah was.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, shock and horror on his expression. "I'm sorry…"

"That's ok," Ha'nah reassured, getting back up to her feet, "I'm fine. Really!"

"War," the human was muttering now, "War, war, war…The Reapers have returned then?"

Then the brown eyes went fully black, and black biotic energy crackled in the air around the clenched fists.

 **"WE DESTROYED THEM all. HOW?! How could they have survived!?"**

"They haven't, Beast!" Mira soothed, but now Ha'nah could sense the fear and trepidation in her tone. "The Reapers have _NOT_ returned! They are gone! You destroyed them all: You, Kevin, and Ko'le!"

A savage roar split the air, and Ha'nah and Mira were sent tumbling back in a flare of biotics as black as the Void. An ear-splitting _ringing_ was in my head, and I grabbed my crests with both hands, trying to block out the _Goddess_ -awful noise.

 **"I'll KILL THEM ALL, Mira!"** the floating figure was chanting.

 **"I AM THE SWORD IN THE DARKNESS.**

 **I AM THE WATCHER ON THE WALL.**

 **I AM THE SHIELD THAT GUARDS THE REALMS OF…"**

Mira was now running, launching herself at the floating figure, the pair tumbling to the ground before Mira seized his head in both hands.

"Eeh deCoum NoS meH!" the synthetic shouted, artificial speakers cranking the sentence up to be heard above the clamor all around us.

The Imperator stiffened, and then slumped to the ground. Mira set his head down on the ground gently, and then came over to Ha'nah, offering a hand up.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern in her expression.

"Yes," Ha'nah managed, getting to her feet.

"I'm sorry," Mira said gently, bending back down to set the human's torso and head in her lap. "He hasn't had an episode in several weeks. I thought he would be alright."

I'm…" Ha'nah began, multiple times, horrified now at her earlier words, "I… I didn't know."

Mira gave her a nod.

"Nobody did, sweetheart. Except for your parents, and a select other few."

 _That_ was news to the youngest Shepard.

"What… How…?"

Mira tapped the head that rested in her lap.

"He tapped into the Reaper Mainframe with this brain, darling. And no mortal was ever meant to see the accumulated memories of _billions_ of years, and _millions_ of cycles. The fact that he wasn't left a slobbering vegetable is a miracle in and of itself."

"They smuggled him off the Citadel," Ha'nah marveled, finally putting all the pieces together. "Through the Relay Monument."

"I got him back here to Ilos," Mira nodded. "I was hoping… _maybe_ being among his own people would help."

Ha'nah winced. "It didn't?"

Mira shrugged.

"It did… slightly. He knows who _he_ is. But there are many personalities in his head, and now they're all vying for control. Or at least, trading it back and forth unpredictably."

"You… wanted to hide him somewhere."

"I built him this garden for him to rest in, and created beasts for him to hunt," Mira said softly, looking out at the sunset that was now visible at the cave's mouth. "The other Protheans and I set about rebuilding this broken world, and giving him time to rebuild his broken mind."

"And here I came, crashing down into the middle of it," Ha'nah stated, shame coloring her words and cheeks.

"You are young," Mira smiled. "And you are a Shepard. It's what your family does, and does so well."

She picked up the body, carrying it in her arms.

"Do you… need help?" Ha'nah asked.

"He bore the weight of the galaxy, and the full brunt of the Reaper's attack," Mira answered. "I can bear his weight back to the bike."

The pair set about retracing their steps after Ha'nah set up a biotic barrier to put out the fire.

"So…" she asked hesitantly. "Who is he going to be when he wakes up?"

Ha'nah could have sworn that Mira _winced_.

"I do not know," the synthetic answered simply. "I do not know…But I will love him, all the same."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **A special Thanksgiving gift to all my readers and reviewers, and in response to the myriad of requests I've received asking to see what KBK has been up to these twenty-five years.**

 **Not an easy answer, and not an easy task.**

 **Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! ROCK ON!**

 **EE-RAH!**

 **-Tusken1602**


	29. Epilogue: Beacon's Legacy Pt 3

***ILOS***  
 **REFUGEE SYSTEM**  
 **PANGEAN EXPANSE**

"Well, there it is then." Solana's shoulders slumped and her head bowed dejectedly. "This whole trip has been for nothing."

Ha'nah Shepard scratched her head absent-mindedly. "He thought I was _Oma_ Hannah, then he thought I was my mom," she said slowly. "He even thought my _mother_ was the Shadow Broker!"

Solana let out a snort of amusement. "Yes, your mother: an intra-galactic crime lord and information broker."

The two friends and pseudo-cousins shared a chuckle at the unlikelihood of such an absurdity.

"We'll get the Normandy repaired, and we'll return back the way we came," the turian said at last. "The Protheans and Mira will surely help, if only to get us off their planet."

"I will take full responsibility," Ha'nah stated resolutely. "I'll tell them…"

"That you kidnapped the ten of us and _made_ us help you steal a ship?" Solana grinned mirthlessly, her mandibles flaring in amusement. "No, little Ha'nah. We both known it won't work that way. We'll face the full consequences of our decisions together. as a crew. As a family."

"Or at least as cellmates."

The two friends turned and made their way back to the campfires, where the rest of the crew could be seen sharing the food of their respective peoples: _Kram_ from Tuchanka, _Lola_ gourds from Palavan. Andrew was introducing two Prothean to Terran Pineapples, while Ha'nah also saw _Jeso_ melons from Thessia on another nearby table. Just on the edge of the firelight, she could see the metallic figure of Mira, looking on at the festive group, smiling. She slowly made her way over and sat down on the turf next to her.

"The machines..." she said finally, more to break the silence than anything else, "You said they are yours?"

"They are… as close as I will ever get to having children," Mira nodded. "I created them to disperse seeds, bacterial cultures, whatever needed to be done to repair this planet's broken ecosystem."

"And a fine job she has done with it, too."

Mira and Ha'nah both whirled to see the dreadlocked figure approaching the campfire. Mira's face broke into a beaming smile and she stood to her feet to hug the figure, now clad from head to toe in golden armor, rather than drab black of before.

"Hello, Ko'le," she said warmly.

"Hello, Mira," the Seneschal of the Prothean Empire answered. "It has been a long time."

"Eight months," the synthetic nodded. "Kevin said you were out looking for Beast."

"And so I was," the now-serene figure bowed at the waist, "Though Kevin tells me that it would seem he beat me back here."

"So it would seem," Mira nodded. "I had to use the Master Words."

An amused scoff escaped the scarred lips. "He will not thank you for that."

"I didn't thank him for trying to kill us, either."

Mira's face suddenly grew concerned.

"Is… is Kevin…?"

"He is here with me," reassured Ko'le. "Would you like to speak to him?"

"Please."

The figure stiffened as a white flash came across his eyes. Then he relaxed into something… familiarly nonchalant.

"Hello, darling," Kevin's voice stated. "I'm here. It would seem that the whole gang is back together."

Ha'nah was surprised that she was getting used to the confusing ebb and flow of the multiple personalities, while Mira cupped a hand on the human's cheek.

"You're wearing your armor again," she said, letting a finger drift down the golden plates covering the Seneschal's chest.

"Yes… Ko'le's idea, you know," nodded Kevin. "Still fits, believe it or not."

"That's because it's an adaptive body-suit, darling," smiled Mira, "You could gain a hundred pounds and it would still fit."

"Gee, way to make a guy feel better."

The white flash came across the eyes again, and then the golden-armored figure gave his full attention to the young asari, something Ha'nah found _much_ more unsettling than she thought she would.

"So… Kevin tells me that you are Ha'nah Shepard, and that you brought the children of the Normandy crew."

"Some of them are, yes," nodded Ha'nah, and then she extended a hand. "It's… good to finally meet you. The _real you_ , I mean. I mean…"

Ko'le lifted a hand to stop the nervous babbling.

"It is quite alright," he soothed, and then turned his head towards the fire. "May I ask you to make an introduction to your crew?"

The Protheans were the first to whirl towards the approaching figures, rising to their feet before crossing their arms over their chests and taking a knee before the golden figure. The _Normandy_ crew, somewhat confusedly, rose to their feet. Ha'nah made introductions, and polite nods were exchanged all around, except when the young Raloian was introduced.

"It is an honor to meet you, _Wing-_ Father of my Name," Korro'le stated, bowing low at the waist.

His namesake smiled, genuine happiness creeping into his expression for the first time since Ha'nah had met him, and returned the gesture. "The honor is mine. Your father was…is… a true friend and wing-brother."

Then the golden figure waved a hand absent-mindedly, and green biotics floated an apple into his hand as he sat down on a nearby crate.

"So tell me, _Captain_ Shepard," he said to Ha'nah, taking a bite of the Terran fruit, "What has become of my Conclave?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone!**

 **This little snippet was intended to be a Xmas present to all of my readers/reviewers, but then my daughter decided to make her grand entrance to this world, and threw my carefully-arranged schedule to the four winds. :)**

 **Even now, I am holding this little treasure, typing single-handed (which is harder than you think it would be), and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for each and every one of you who has stuck it out with me.**

 **My sincere thanks to all those who have DM'ed me asking for more of the Ko'le saga, and in answer to all of you: I will continue writing as long as people will read it. Right now, I'm still fleshing out my Skyrim Fanfic, as well as trying to edit Beacons' Effect into an actual stand-alone story that might possibly head towards publishing. *fingers crossed.**

 **But in the immediate future, I'm dedicating the lion's share of my time to raising my daughter as best as I know how, and doing my part to introduce her to all these wonderful fandoms when the time comes.**

 **EE-RAH, brothers and sisters!**

 **-Tusken1602**


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